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LADY’S  MANUAL 


OF 


BY 

EEY.  HUBBARD  WINSLOW, 

AND 

MRS.  JOHN  SANFORD. 


NEW-YORK: 

LEAYITT  AND  ALLEN, 

27  DEY  STREET. 

1854. 


BOSTON  COLLEGE  LIBRARY 
CHESTNUT  HILL,  MASS, 


H  Q. 
122.1 
.  It/  7  ?H 
If 54* 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1353, 

By  LEAVITT  &  ALLEN, 

In  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  of  the  United  States,  for  the 
Southern  District  of  New-York. 


/ 


1  1  n  f 


I  ON  COLLEGE 

FEB  2,  ig?ffHESTNUT  HILL  MASSt' 


S 


✓ 


Illustrations. 


Part  I. 

ARTIST. 

PRESENTATION  PLATE,  - 
FRONTISPIECE,  -  -  Frank  Stone, 

ILLUMINATED  TITLE, 

THE  CHRISTIAN  WIFE,  -  Prentis, 

THE  VIRGIN,  -  -  -  Murillo, 

Part  II. 

FRONTISPIECE,  -  -  -  Gainsborough, 

FEMALE  STUDIES,  -  -  Frank  Stone, 

VISIT  OF  CHARITY,  -  -  Warren, 


PAGB 

-  34 

-  57 

1 

-  134 

-  160 


✓ 


. 


. 


CONTENTS 


PART  I. 


Preface  . 

The  Appropriate  Sphere  of  Woman 
The  Influence  of  Christianity  on  Woman 
The  Christian  Education  of  Woman 


Page 


PART  II. 


Causes  of  Female  Influence  .... 

Subject  continued  . 

Importance  of  Letters  to  Woman 
Importance  of  Religion  to  Woman 
Christianity  the  Source  of  Female  Excellence 
Scripture  Illustrative  of  Female  Character 
Female  Influence  on  Religion  . 

Female  Defects  ...... 

Subject  continued  ...... 

Female  Romance  ...... 

Subject  continued  ...... 

Female  Education . 


15 

23 

35 

46 

64 

78 

90 

104 

111 

125 

134 


- 


* 


-  .  _ 

- 

. 


PREFACE. 


It  is  a  lamentable  fact,  that  in  addressing  the 
fair  sex,  the  writers  of  the  present  day  are  apt 
to  take  it  for  granted  that  mere  amusement  is 
the  only  object  to  be  proposed,  and  that  in  pur¬ 
suance  of  this  object,  literature  of  the  highest 
and  most  frivolous  character  is  the  only  means 
which  is  likely  to  prove  acceptable. 

The  volume  which  is  now  offered  to  the  ac¬ 
ceptance  of  our  fair  countrywomen,  proposes  a 
different  object,  to  be  attained  by  totally  dif¬ 
ferent  means.  It  is  not  true  that  women  prefer 
amusement  to  instruction.  On  the  contrary, 
their  preference  is  generally  in  favor  of  the 
literature  which  is  calculated  to  promote  their 
moral  and  intellectual  improvement.  Hence 
their  fondness  for  the  higher  kind  of  poetry, 
and  their  strong  attachment  to  devotional  ex¬ 
ercises,  and  the  higher  productions  of  pulpit 


11 


PREFACE. 


1 

eloquence.  Women  are  impulsive,  generous, 
and  devoted  in  their  affections,  and  ready  tc 
make  any  sacrifice  for  those  whom  they  truly 
love.  Let  it  once  become  apparent  to  them  that 
by  high  mental  and  moral  attainments,  they 
will  be  able  to  benefit  or  to  please  the  object 
of  their  affections,  and  they  will  promptly  ad¬ 
dress  themselves  to  the  solid  literary  studies 
which  are  requisite  for  that  purpose.  It  is  the 
fault  of  authors,  not  of  their  female  readers,  that 
books  intended  for  the  perusal  of  ladies  are  so 
often  utterly  frivolous  and  useless.  It  is  time 
that  a  new  era  should  commence  in  the  history 
of  literature  for  ladies.  They  should  he  pre¬ 
sented  with  that  which  is  truly  useful,  in  an 
interesting  and  entertaining  form,  and  they  will 
not  hesitate  to  give  it  their  attention. 

The  habits  of  ladies  in  the  ordinary  pur¬ 
suits  of  life,  naturally  lead  them  to  prefer  and 
pursue  the  useful,  at  the  same  time  that  they 

duly  appreciate  the  beautiful.  In  their  domestic 

% 

avocations,  such  as  housekeeping,  needlework, 
gardening,  the  useful  is  the  first  consideration  , 
hut  the  ornaments  of  dress,  and  the  flowers  of 
die  parterre,  nevertheless  receive  their  due 


1 


PREFACE.  iii 

share  of  attention,  and  contribute  to  render  ac¬ 
tive  employment  a  source  of  real  delight. 

That  the  female  mind,  duly  cultivated,  is 
capable  of  very  high  achievements,  is  witnessed 
by  the  admirable  writings  of  such  authors  as 
Edgeworth,  Barbauld,  Hannah  More,  and  Mrs. 
Somerville.  But  it  is  not  for  the  purpose  of 
attaining  eminent  rank  as  authors,  that  women 
in  general  should  have  cultivated  and  disci¬ 
plined  minds.  The  supply  of  authors  of  both 
sexes  will  always  be  equal  to  the  demand.  On 
that  head,  therefore,  we  need  not  feel  the  least 
anxiety.  But  it  is  really  important  that  women 
should  have  their  minds  highly  cultivated  and  well 
disciplined,  on  account  of  the  immense  influence 
which  they  exert  in  forming  the  first  tendencies 
of  character,  and  in  giving  tone  to  society.  The 
impulse  which  a  man’s  moral  course  receives 
from  a  mother’s  instruction,  is  that  which  car¬ 
ries  him  forward  through  life  in  an  upward  or 
a  downward  course.  The  son  of  a  weak,  foolish, 
frivolous,  uneducated  mother,  seldom  turns  out 
an  upright  and  useful  man  ;  but  many  brilliant 
examples  may  be  cited  of  characters  illustrious 
for  talent  and  probity — men  celebrated  in  the 


IV  PREFACE. 

world’s  history,  who  have  gratefully  attributed 
all  theif  success  to  early  maternal  influence. 

In  giving  tone  to  society  female  influence  is 
not  less  potential.  In  those  communities  where 
the  women  are  virtuous  and  educated,  the  gen¬ 
eral  character  of  society  is  elevated,  and  the 
whole  style  of  social  intercourse  is  of  a  happy 
and  improving  nature.  Any  one  may  verify 
this  by  his  own  observation  and  reflection.  On 
the  contrary,  where  the  women  are  ignorant, 
and  devoted  to  dress  and  amusement  only,  the 
whole  aspect  of  society  is  affected  by  this  cir¬ 
cumstance,  and  the  character  of  social  inter¬ 
course  is  frivolous  and  contemptible.  In  com¬ 
munities  where  female  virtue  is  wanting,  the 
men  are  equally  debased  with  the  women,  and 
honor,  and  patriotism,  are  hardly  to  he  found. 
Countries  so  unfortunate  as  to  sanction  by  cus¬ 
tom  the  want  of  female  virtue,  become  a  prey 
to  tyrants,  and  remain  in  hopeless  political 
slavery.  The  single  example  of  Italy  will  serve 
to  illustrate  this  truth ;  while  our  own  country 
is  a  noble  example  of  the  happy  effects  of  fe¬ 
male  virtue,  in  preserving  the  honor  and  stimu¬ 
lating  the  courage  of  freemen. 


PREFACE. 


V 


In  the  works  which  are  comprised  in  this 
volume,  the  writers  have  respectively  proposed 
to  themselves  the  noble  object  of  forming  the 
female  character  on  the  real  and  solid  basis  of 
religion  ;  and  of  building  it  up  with  the  rich 
and  durable  material  of  high  intellectual  and 
moral  culture. 

No  young  lady  can  read  and  study  these 
works,  without  appreciating  the  advantages 
which  they  present  towards  the  true  education 
of  the  mind  and  heart.  The  principles  laid 
down  in  them,  the  methods  of  study  and  rules 
of  conduct  suggested,  the  examples  cited,  and 
the  general  system  inculcated,  are  such  as  com¬ 
mend  themselves  irresistibly  to  every  candid 
and  reflecting  mind  ;  and  if  the  readers  of  them 
will  only  apply  themselves  with  sincere  and 
earnest  purpose  to  the  practical  use  of  the 
excellent  advice  and  instruction  which  they  con¬ 
tain,  the  benefits  resulting  will  be  great  and 
lasting. 

Of  the  short  treatise  of  Mr.  Winslow,  his 
honored  name  is  a  sufficient  recommendation. 
The  larger  and  more  thorough  work  of  Mrs. 
Sanford,  whose  name  is  less  familiar  to  Ameri- 


VI 


PREFACE. 


can  readers,  is  a  standard  book  of  its  class. 
Having  been  written  long  after  the  popular 
treatises  of  Mrs.  Chapone,  Hr.  Gregory,  and 
others,  who  have  given  excellent  counsel  to 
young  ladies,  it  is  a  decided  improvement  upon 
them  all.  It  accommodates  itself  to  the  pro¬ 
gressive  spirit  of  the  age,  and  recognizes  the 
more  advanced  and  elevated  position  accorded 
to  females  in  the  present  refined  and  educated 
age,  than  they  could  claim  half  a  century 
since. 

While  science  and  general  intelligence  are 
rapidly  advancing,  it  becomes  the  female  sex 
to  respect  a  high  standard  of  mental  culture, 
and  to  endeavor  with  all  their  faculties  to  ren¬ 
der  themselves  suitable  companions  for  educa¬ 
ted  and  intelligent  men.  And  this  is  necessary 
not  only  in  the  highest,  but  in  the  middle,  and 
even  the  humbler  classes  of  society.  Educated 
men  are  now  to  be  found  in  all  the  various 
ranks  of  society,  and  they  naturally  desire  the 
society  of  spirited  and  intelligent  women.  Mere 
prettiness  and  a  few  superficial  accomplish¬ 
ments,  may  please  the  idler,  or  the  mere  plea- 
•  sure  seeker,  but  the  earnest,  whole-hearted 


PREFACE. 


VI 1 


man,  requires  a  companion  for- life,  who  can 
participate  in  his  highest  pursuits,  and  sympa¬ 
thize  with  his  noblest  purposes. 

Such  women  should  form  the  society  of  our 
leading  female  circles  in  every  community  of 
the  republic.  Such  women  should  give  the 
tone  to  social  intercourse  throughout  our  be¬ 
loved  and  glorious  country. 


i 


THE 


APPROPRIATE  SPHERE  OF  WOMAN. 


The  dignity  and  virtue  of  the  female  character  can¬ 
not  be  too  highly  estimated  nor  too  sacredly  pro¬ 
tected.  It  is  often  and  perhaps  justly  remarked, 
that  as  woman  was  first  in  transgression,  so  she  is 
first  in  obedience ;  as  she  was  first  to  introduce  sin, 
so  she  is  first  to  expel  it.  She  is  undoubtedly  to 
sustain  a  most  important  part  in  reclaiming  the 
world.  Her  influence  upon  society  is  great,  pecu¬ 
liar,  indispensable  to  its  highest  elevation.  She  is 
capable  of  exerting  a  benign  and  almost  irresistible 
dominion  over  the  affections  and  the  conduct  of  the 
other  sex ;  but  she  can  do  it  only  by  observing  her 
appropriate  sphere  and  putting  forth  her  character¬ 
istic  graces. 

The  sacred  writers  have  intimated  that  her  consti¬ 
tutional  susceptibility  and  ardor,  so  valuable  when 
wisely  directed  and  so  evil  when  misguided,  her  spi- 


10 


APPROPRIATE  SPHERE  OF  WOMAN. 


I 

I 


fit  of  impulse  and  action,  her  passion  for  novelty  and 
adventure  predominating  over  cool  discretion  and 
cautious  judgment, — as  seen  in  the  case  of  the  first 
transgression, — is  one  essential  reason  why  God  re¬ 
quires  that  she  shall  “  learn  in  silence  with  all  sub¬ 
jection.”  and  does  not  “  suffer  her  to  teach  nor  to 
usurp  authority  over  the  man.” 

But  this  law  of  female  subjection,  implanted  in  the 
human  constitution  and  enjoined  by  God,  is  misap¬ 
prehended,  perverted  or  abused  in  all  but  Christian 
nations.  All  pagan  religions  crush  the  female  sex 
into  the  dust ;  Mohammedanism  makes  them  little 
superior  to  abject  slaves.;  and  even  the  Jewish  eco¬ 
nomy  is  inferior  to  the  Christian  in  respect  to  their 
elevation  and  influence.  It  is  a  distinguishing  glory 
of  Christianity  that  it  elevates  females  to  their  proper 
rank  and  full  measure  of  influence  in  the  best  and 
most  finished  state  of  society. 

All  great  practical  errors,  which  obtain  ascendency 
over  nations  and  over  successive  generations  of 
men,  have  their  foundation  in  certain  truths  ; — they 
are  the  misapprehension  and  abuse  of  principles  true 
to  nature.  Now  Christianity  does  not  come  to  make 
war  upon  nature  and  to  extirminate  those  principles, 
but  to  restore  them  to  our  right  apprehension  and  to 
their  true  application.  This  is  eminently  the  case 
in  regard  to  the  appropriate  sphere  of  action  and 
influence  for  the  female  sex.  Nature  had  assigned 
to  them  a  sphere  distinct  from  and  subordinate  to 
that  of  man,  though  by  no  means  less  honorable  and 


APPROPRIATE  SPHERE  OF. WOMAN. 


11 


important.  Paganism  had  abused  this  principle  ot 
female  subordination,  so  as  to  abase  her,  who  was 
made  to  be  “  an  help-meet  ”  for  man,  to  a  condition  of 
invidious  inferiority  and  even  of  servile  abjectness, 
hook  at  the  condition  of  females  in  the  Roman 
empire  at  the  time  Christianity  was  introduced. 
Christianity  removed  the  hand  which  pressed  them 
down,  and  bade  them  rise  to  their  appropriate  sphere. 
But  the  reaction  from  long  restraint  and  depression, 
the  impulse  of  sudden  elevation  in  their  enthusiastic 
temperaments,  soon  carried  them  beyond  their  proper 
sphere,  and  produced  a  spirit  of  insubordination. 
They  became  radical.  They  were  for  levelling  all 
distinctions  between  the  sexes.  Overstepping  their 

own  boundaries,  they  began  to  assume  the  preroga- 
tives  of  the  other  sex. 

To  correct  this  alarming  evil  called  for  some  of 
the  most  vigorous  and  burning  strokes  of  the  inspired 
pen.  A  tendency  to  ultraism  is  not  peculiar  to  our 
day.  Apostles,  reformers,  holy  men  of  other  ages, 
no  sooner  inculcated  something  true  and  important, 
than  zealots  began  to  push  it  to  those  extremes  which 
called  for  scarcely  less  effort  to  keep  it  in  its  right 
place  than  was  required  to  introduce  it.  If  it  was 
an  abuse  of  nature  and  a  horrible  evil  that  woman 
should  be  depressed,  scarcely  less  so  was  the  oppo¬ 
site  extreme,  the  process  of  unsexing,  by  which  the 
peculiar  attractions  of  the  female  character  are  sa¬ 
crificed,  and  the  way  thus  prepared  for  the  annihi- 
lation  of  the  domestic  ties  and  relations. 


12 


APPROPRIATE  SPHERE  OF  WOMAN. 


Although  moral  goodness  is  essentially  the  same 
in  all,  consisting  in  love  to  God  and  man,  manifested 
in  action,  yet  nothing  is  clearer  than  that  woman 
was  to  move  in  a  different  sphere  from  that  of  man, 
and  her  moral  virtues  are  to  be  modified  by  and 
adapted  to  the  sphere  in  which  she  was  made  to 
move.  If  modesty  and  delicacy  are  becoming  in 
both  sexes,  they  are  eminently  the  ornament  of  the 
female  sex ;  while  all  the  moral  virtues  of  either  sex, 
though  they  bear  the  same  name  in  each,  are  to 
assume  the  masculine  or  the  feminine  character 
according  to  the  sex  in  which  they  exist.  The  same 
act  which  would  be  modest  and  delicate  in  a  man 
would  not  always  be  so  in  a  woman ;  while,  on  the 
other  hand,  what  may  be  very  bold  and  energetic  in 
a  woman,  might  be  very  tame  in  a  man.  It  is  on 
this  principle  that  we  are  accustomed  to  say  of  the 
man  who  partakes  of  the  character  appropriate  to 
females,  that  he  is  effeminate ;  and  also  of  the 
woman  who  partakes  of  the  character  appropriate  to 
males,  that  she  is  masculine.  These  terms,  we  all 
know,  are  intended  to  designate  something  out  of 
place,  .something  undesirable  and  unlovely.  We 
tolerate  here  and  there  an  anomaly  of  this  kind; 
but  we  wish  to  see  such  cases  “  few  and  far  be¬ 
tween.”  We  should  wisely  consider  the  end  of  all 
things  not  far  distant  should  they  become  universal. 

It  may  be  difficult  to  trace  the  precise  line  of 
demarkation  where  the  masculine  character  ends 
and  where  the  feminine  begins ;  but  the  general 


i 


APPROPRIATE  SPHERE  OF  WOMAN. 


13 


distinctions  between  them,  as  well  as  the  dangers  to 
which  females  are  exposed  in  this  particular,  are 
abundantly  exhibited  in  the  sacred  Scriptures.  As 
I  wish  to  be  guided  by  the  counsels  of  divine  wisdom 
in  this  somewhat  delicate  yet  highly  important  sub¬ 
ject,  I  would  proceed  to  call  your  attention  “  to  the 
law  and  to  the  testimony.”  It  is  my  simple  aim  to 
expound  and  apply  the  lessons  of  the  Bible"  upon 
the  subject  before  us. 

“  Let  your  women  keep  silence  in  the  churches, 
for  it  is  not  permitted  unto  them  to  speak ;  but  they 
are  commanded  to  be  under  obedience,  as  also  saith 
the  law.”  1  Cor.  xiii.  34.  Here  it  is  declared  to 
be  according  to  the  divine  law  that  females  should 
observe  silence  in  the  churches,  and  act  in  subordi¬ 
nation  to  the  authority  of  man.  “And  if  they  will 
learn  any  thing,  let  them  ask  their  husbands  at 
home ;  for  it  is  a  shame  for  women  to  speak  in  the 
church.”  1  Cor.  xiv.  35.  It  is  here  asserted  to  be 
inconsistent  with  female  delicacy  and  modesty  that 
they  should  speak  in  public.  No  exclusive  reference 
is  had  to  what  is  sometimes  called  a  “  church  meet¬ 
ing.”  The  apostle  asserts  a  general  principle  for 
general  reasons,  as  we  shall  see.  There  is  no  mys¬ 
tical  reason  why  a  woman  should  not  speak  in  an 
assembly  of  the  church  rather  than  in  any  other 
assembly ;  nay,  there  are  some  reasons  why  it  would 
r  e  safer  and  more  proper  for  her  to  speak  in  a 
meeting  of  the  church  than  in  a  promiscuous  assem- 
j.  y.  This  the  apostle  implies  in  a  subsequent  pas- 
2 


14 


APPROPRIATE  SPHERE  OF  WOMAN. 


sage,  as  we  shall  show ;  and  if  she  ought  not  so 
much  as  to  ask  a  question  in  a  public  meeting,  but 
should  do  even  that  privately  at  home,  much  less 
ought  she  to  undertake  to  admnce  her  own  opinions, 
and  to  dictate  instructions  and  rules  to  others. 

It  appears  that  there  were  some  among  the  primi¬ 
tive  matrons  who,  moved  by  a  false  zeal,  encouraged 
the  younger  sisters  in  defaming  and  falsely  accusing 
those  who  did  not  adopt  their  views  and  conform  to 
their  wishes ;  the  tendency  of  whose  conduct  was  to 
displace  sober-mindedness,  to  alienate  wives  from 
their  husbands,  children,  and  domestic  duties,  to 
promote  indelicacy  and  a  fondness  of  being  from 
home ;  insomuch  that  the  pure  lustre  of  Christianity 
was  tarnished  and  the  gospel  reproached.  Hence 
the  apostle  said  to  a  minister  of  the  gospel,  “  Speak 
thou  the  things  which  become  sound  doctrine ;  that 
the  aged  men  be  sober,  grave,  temperate,  sound  in 
faith,  in  patience ;  the  aged  women  likewise,  that 
they  be  in  behavior  as  hecometh  holiness,  not  false 
accusers,  not  given  to  much  wine,  teachers  of  good 
things ;  that  they  may  teach  the  young  women  to  be 
sober,  to  love  their  husbands,  to  love  their  children, 
to  be  discreet,  chaste,  keepers  at  home,  good,  obedi¬ 
ent  to  their  own  husbands,  that  the  word  of  God  be 
not  blasphemed.”  Titus  ii.  1 — 5.  The  same  apostle 
animadverts  in  terms  of  unqualified  rebuke  upon 
those  who,  meddling  with  things  without  theii 
proper  sphere,  spend  their  time,  as  he  expresses  it 
in  “  wandering  about  from  house  to  house ;  and  no 


APPROPRIATE  SPHERE  OF  WOMAN. 


15 


only  idle,  but  tattlers  also,  and  busy  bodies,  speaking 
things  which  they  ought  not.”  1  Tim.  v.  13. 

The  duty  of  wives  to  be  subject  to  their  husbands 
and  to  reverence  them  is  inculcated  in  the  following 
strong  language.  While  instructing  husbands  to 
love  their  wives  as  their  own  bodies,  instead  of 
treating  them  as  the  heathen  do  theirs,  the  apostie 
says,  “  Wives,  submit  yourselves  unto  your  own 
husbands,  as  unto  the  Lord ;  for  the  husband  is  the 
head  of  the  wife,  even  as  Christ  is  the  head  of  the 
church ;  and  he  is  the  Savior  of  the  body.  There¬ 
fore  as  the  church  is  subject  to  Christ,  so  let  wives 
be  to  their  own  husbands  in  every  thing.  Let  every 
one  of  you  in  particular  so  love  his  wife  even  as 
himself,  and  the  wife  see  that  she  reverence  her 
husband.”  Eph.  v.  22 — 24,  33.  “  But  I  would 

have  you  know  that  the  head  of  every  man  is 
Christ,  and  the  head  of  the  woman  is  the  man.” 
“  For  the  man  is  not  of  the  woman,  but  the  woman 
of  the  man.  Neither  was  the  man  created  for  the 
woman,  bu  the  woman  for  the  man.  For  this 
cause  the  v.  ./man  ought  to  have  power  on  her  head, 
because  of  the  angels.”  1  Cor.  xi.  3,  8 — 10.  That 
is,  she  ought  to  have  a  covering  or  veil  on  her  head, 
in  sign  that  she  is  under  the  power  of  her  husband, 
on  account  of  the  irreligious  who  came  to  their 
assemblies  as  spies  or  lookers  on.  Here  then  is  a 
promiscuous  assembly,  not  an  exclusive  meeting  of 
the  church,  and  the  apostle  teaches  us  that  here  she 
must  not  only  be  in  silence,  but  must  even  have  on 


1 


16  APPROPRIATE  SPHERE  OF  WOMAN. 

s' 

the  then  customary  badge  of  modesty  and  subjec¬ 
tion. 

Such  then  are  inspired  views  respecting  female 
delicacy  and  propriety,  respecting  her  becoming  defe¬ 
rence  to  the  other  sex,  and  her  appropriate  reverence 
and  homage  to  her  husband.  She  is  even  represented 
as  the  glory  of  her  husband,  as  he  is  the  glory  of 
God.  “  For  as  much,”  says  the  apostle,  “  as  he  is  the 
image  and  the  glory  of  God,  but  the  woman  is  the 
glory  of  the  man.”  How  any  person  of  sober  mind 
can  read  such  scriptures  and  not  perceive  that  they 
recognise  an  important  distinction  between  the  ap¬ 
propriate  virtues  and  duties  of  the  sexes,  i  am  una¬ 
ble  to  perceive.  The  doctrine  is  however  by  some 
confidently  sustained  and  acted  on,  that  all  this  dis¬ 
tinction  is  artificial,  unchristian,  an  invidious  preju¬ 
dice,  and  ought  to  be  broken  down. 

In  his  epistle  to  Timothy  the  apostle  gives  the 
following  instruction:  “In  like  manner  also  that 
women  adorn  themselves  with  modest  apparel,  with 
shamefacedness  and  sobriety,  not  with  broidered 
hair,  or  with  gold,  or  pearls,  or  costly  array,  but, 
which  becometh  women  professing  godliness,  with 
good  works.  Let  the  woman  learn  in  silence  with 
all  subjection.  But  I  suffer  not  a  woman  to  teach, 
nor  to  usurp  authority  over  the  man,  but  to  be  in 
silence.  For  Adam  was  first  formed,  then  Eve. 
And  Adam  was  not  deceived,  but  the  woman  being 
deceived  was  in  the  transgression.”  1  Tim.  ii. 
) — 14.  Here  the  inspired  writer  instructs  us  that 


APPROPRIATE  sphere  of.  woman. 


17 


women  should  clothe  themselves  with  modest  appa¬ 
rel,  not  with  those  glaring  and  gaudy  trappings  which 
attract  vulgar  and  wanton  eyes,  as  the  heatjien 
omen  do ;  and,  further,  that  in  public'  they  should 
always  be  learners  and  never  teachers,  and  that  they 
should  never  assume  the  position  of  dictation  or  of 
authority  over  man.  As  a  reason  for  this,  he  re¬ 
minds  us  that  Adam  was  first  formed ;  that  Eve 
was  then  formed,  to  be  his  help  meet ,  and  not  his 
teacher  or  governess ;  and  as  a  further  reason  why 
woman  should  be  slow  to  dictate  and  ready  to  leam 
in  all  matters  of  doubtful  expediency  or  questionable 
right,  he  reminds  us  that  her  characteristic  ardor  and 
'  imprudence,  her  love  of  novelty  and  change,  had 
once  betrayed  her  into  transgression — that  “Adam 
was  not  deceived,  but  the  woman  being  deceived 
was  in  the  transgression thus  intir  'ng  that  had 
she  kept  her  proper  place  and  been  guided  by  the 
man,  instead  of  attempting  to  guide  him,  the  great 
disaster  would  not  have  befallen  our  race.  The 
general  idea  is  clearly  maintained,  that  as  man  is 
possessed  of  a  strong  desire  to  gratify  the  woman, 
insomuch  that  he  is  liable  to  dethrone  his  better 
judgment  and  to  follow  her  wishes,  even  if  she 
leads  him  astray,  as  in  the  case  of  Adam  and  Eve,  it 
is  imminently  dangerous  that  she,  whose  predomi¬ 
nant  characteristic  is  not  so  much  sound  and  compre¬ 
hensive  judgment  as  curiosity  and  romantic  impulse, 
should  assume  the  reins.  Thus,  if  language  has 
any  definite  meaning,  the  Bible  seems  clearly  to 
2*  B 


1 


18  APPROPRIATE  SPHERE  OF  WOMAN. 

t 

teach'  that  man  should  always  sit  at  the  helm,  tc 
lead  public,  sentiment  and  control  public  movements ; 
while  woman  was  to  move  in  another  but  not  less 
important  or  honorable  sphere,  where  she  was  to  put 
forth  the  peculiar  and  powerful  influences  of  her 
personal  virtues  and  acquirements. 

The  apostle  says,  “  I  suffer  not  a  woman  to  teach,” 
&c.  The  term  teach  is  the  same  as  that  employed 
by  Christ  when  he  said,  “Go  ye  and  teach,”  or 
disciple,  “  all  nations,”  &c.  This  commission  was 
..given  exclusively  to  men.  Christ  had  many  excel¬ 
lent  female  disciples,  but  to  none  of  them  did  he 
extend  this  commission ;  and  the  apostle  reminds 
some  of  the  primitive  sisters  of  this  fact,  at  a  time 
when  they  seem  to  have  been  inclined  to  forget  it. 
This  remembrancer  still  speaks,  and  his  message  is 
as  important  and  as  binding  as  ever. 

The  physical  constitution  of  the  sexes  plainly 
indicates  that,  as  a  general  rule,  the  more  severe 
manual  labors,  the  toils  of  the  field,  the  mechanic 
arts,  the  cares  and  burdensof  mercantile  business, 
the  exposures  and  perils  of  absence  from  home,  the 
duties  of  the  learned  professions,  devolve  upon  man; 
while  the  more  delicate  and  retired  cares  and  labors 
of  the  household  devolve  upon  woman. 

The  intellectual  and  moral  constitution  of  the 
sexes,  as  well  as  the  Bible,  instructs  us  that  all  the 
affairs  of  state,  both  civil  and  political,  all  the  affairs 
of  the  church  as  respects  both  government  and  pub¬ 
lic  teaching,  all  the  enterprises  for  evangelizing  and 


APPROPRIATE  SPHERE  OF  WOMAN.  19 

reforming  the  world,  all  the  more  public,  literary 
and  religious  institutions,  especially  those  embracing 
both  sexes,  should  be  headed  and  controlled  by  man ; 
while  the  more  modest  and  retiring,  though  not  less 
valuable  and  powerful,  influences  of  her  personal 
character  and  conversation  .upon  her  domesti  c  circle, 
her  neighbors  and  associates,  and  through  them 
upon  the  world,  together  with  the  fruits  of  her  intel¬ 
lect,  imparted  not  in  public  lectures,  but  by  private 
instruction,  or  communicated  to  the  world  through 
,  the  medium  of  the  press,  belong  to  woman. 

The  appropriate  sphere  and  distinguishing  duties 
of  woman  are  then  as  follows : — Having  given 
herself  up  to  God,  her  first  duty  is  to  take  care  of 
her  own  house.  Having  severely  rebuked  the  con¬ 
duct  of  those  who,  leaving  the  domestic  duties, 
wander  about  from  house  to  house,  idle,  tattlers,  busy 
bodies,  speaking  things  which  tl.ey  ought  not,  the 
apostle  adds,  “  I  will  therefore  that  the  younger 
women  marry,  bear  children,  guide  the  house  ;  give 
no  occasion  to  the  adversary  to  speak  reproachfully.” 
1  Tim.  v.  14.  Nor  let  any  woman  pronounce  this 
an  invidious  and  menial  sphere  of  duty.  Let.  her 
but  consider  how  much  the  happiness  of  society  and 
the  progress  of  the  world  in  all  that  is  good  depend 
upon  domestic  causes.  Let  her  also  know  in  what 

I  admiration  she  is  held  by  those  whose  respect  is 

most  to  be  valued,  who,  on  entering  her  house, 
behold  an  abode  of  neatness,  order,  cheerfulness,  and 
hospitality  •  her  children  well  clad  and  smiling,  her 


II 


I 

20  APPROPRIATE  SPHERE  OF  WOMAN. 

table  neatly  spread  with  wholesome  provisions,  and 
every  thing  about  her  seeming  to  say,  “  Here  is  my 
happiness ;  my  husband  is  my  best  companion,  my 
children  are  my  jewels ;  my  house  is  my  home,  and 
no  earthly  pleasure  excels  that  of  rendering  it  a 
domestic  paradise — a  centre  of  attraction  to  my 
family,  so  that  they  are  nowhere  else  so  happy  f  a 
place  too  of  welcome  and  grateful  reception  to  the 
stranger  ’’-—and  she  will  see  that  this  is  second  to 
no  other  secular  sphere  for  honor  or  importance ; 
that  she  has  no  occasion  to  covet  the  chairs  of  state  or 
the  noisy  scenes  of  public  action.  She  will  be  satis¬ 
fied  with  the  inspired  description  of  woman  in  her 
true  glory, — although  the  progress  of  art  has  some¬ 
what  changed  her  occupation,  yet  the  general  duty 
is  still  essentially  the  same, — “  She  layeth  her  hands 
to  the  spindle,  and  her  hands  hold  the  distaff.  She 
stretcheth  out  her  hand  to  the  poor,  yea,  she  reacheth 
forth  her  hands  to  the  needy.  She  is  not  afraid  of 
the  snow  for  her  household ;  for  all  her  household 
are  clothed  with  scarlet.  She  maketh  herself  co¬ 
verings  of  tapestry ;  her  clothing  is  silk  and  purple. 
Her  husband  is  known  in  the  gates,  when  he  sitteth 
among  the  elders  of  the  land.”  Observe  the  hus¬ 
band,  not  the  wife,  is  seen  in  the  gates,  the  places 
of  concourse,  and  is  known  by  his  respectable 
appearance  imparted  by  the  domestic  virtues  of  his 
wife  ;  so  that  all  who  see  him  say,  “  There  is  the 
man  who  has  a  good  wife  to  take  care  of  him.” 
“  She  maketh  fine  linen,  and  selleth  it ;  and  deli- 


•v 


APPROPRIATE  SPHERE  OF.  WOMAN.  21 

vereth  girdles  unto  the  merchant.  Strength  and 
honor  are  her  clothing  ;  and  she  shall  rejoice  in  time 
to  come.  She  openeth  her  mouth  with  wisdom ; 
and  in  her  tongue  is  the  law  of  kindness.  She 
looketh  well  to  the  ways  of  her  household,  and 
eateth  not  the  bread  of  idleness.  Her  children  arise 
up,  and  call  her  blessed ;  her  husband  also,  and  he 
praiseth  her.  Many  daughters  have  done  virtuous¬ 
ly,  but  thou  excellest  them  all”  Prov.  xxxi. 

While  thus  administering  neatness,  order,  comfort 
and  happiness  to  her  household,  her  hands  may  also 
go  forth  to  embrace  the  poor  and  the*  afflicted ;  she 
may,  as  did  the  holy  women  who  attended  on  the 
ministry  of  Christ  and  his  apostles,  make  coats  and 
garments  for  the  destitute,  and  visit  the  houses  of 
sorrow  and  of  want  with  her  tender  sympathies  and 
benevolent  aid.  Thus  the  same  passage  of  scripture 
which  describes  the  domestic  virtues  says  also,  as 
we  have  seen,  “  She  stretcheth  out  her  hand  to  the 
poor;  yea,  she  stretcheth  forth  her  hands  to  the 
needy.” 

But  let  it  not  be  supposed  that  her  agency  is  to 
be  restricted  to  mere  temporal  affairs.  She  ought 
not,  like  a  sister  of  old,  to  be  “  cumbered  with  much 
serving,”  to  the  neglect  of  other  and  higher  duties. 
To  “  look  well  to  the  ways  of  her  household  and 
eat  not  the  bread  of  idleness,”  to  see  that  whatever 
her  husband  provides  tells  to  advantage  in  the  neat 
and  tasteful  apparel,  the  well-spread  table,  the  com¬ 
fort  and  happiness  of  her  family,  is  of  course  a  duty 


22 


APPROPRIATE  SPHERE  OF  WOMAN. 


never  to  be  neglected ;  but  more,  much  more  than 
this,  remains  for  her  to  do.  It  is  hers  also  to  nourish 
and  adorn  the  young  and  growing  minds ;  to  cause 
her  instructions  to  distil  upon  them  as  the  dew,  as 
the  small  rain  upon  the  tender  herb,  and  as  showers 
that  water  the  earth ;  to  bend  and  direct  the  infant 
twig  in  the  way  it  should  grow,  that  it  may  shoot 
erect  towards  heaven ;  to  put  forth  a  mother’s 
restraining  and  elevating  influence  upon  her  sons, 
that  they  “  may  be  as  plants  grown  up  in  theii 
youth,”  and  to  bestow  a  mother’s  peculiar  guardian¬ 
ship  and  delicate  care  upon  her  daughters,  that 
“  they  may  be  as  corner-stones  polished  after  the 
similitude  of  a  palace  to  exert  a  holy  influence 
upon  her  husband,  and  by  her  sweet  and  tender 
sympathies  to  calm  his  anxious  mind,  smooth  his 
ruffled  brow,  and  cheer  him  on  in  the  path  of  self- 
denying  duty  and  of  high  endeavor ;  to  diffuse  all 
around  her,  as  she  mingles  in  society,  the  pure  and 
mighty  influences  of  female  piety,  always  savoring 
of  delicacy,  modesty,  good  sense,  intelligence,  and 
transparent  benevolence  ;  and  all  this,  if  you  please, 
adorned  with  a  finished  culture,  sparkling  with 
chastened  and  refined  wit,  and  attended  with  what¬ 
ever  may  be  most  attractive  and  commanding  in  the 
peculiar  graces  and  beauties  of  the  female  character. 
These  are  the  noblest  virtues  of  woman  ;  these  are 
what  render  her  what  she  was  made  to  be,  if  we 
may  credit  the  Bible,  the  help  that  is  “  meet  ”  or 
suitable  for  man — such  a  help  as  he  needs.  And 


APPROPRIATE  SPHERE  OF  WOMAN. 


23 


who  will  say  that  they  are  not  as  important,  as 
honorable,  as  elevated,  and  that  they  do  not  invite 
and  .give  ample  scope  to  as  high  intellectual  and 
moral  cultivation,  as  the  distinguishing  duties  of 
men  ? 

IIovv  sadly  then  do  they  mistake  who  suppose 
that  the  sacred  writers  depress  the  female  sex  when 
they  so  much  restrict  their  influence  to  personal, 
essential,  intrinsic  elevation  and  goodness.  This  is 
in  fact  the  only  true  excellence,  the  most  glorious  of 
all  power.  Even  the  man  who  must  needs  stretch 
for  an  office,  or  covet  some  public  notoriety,  to  make 
himself  felt  in  the  world,  or  to  secure  honor,  is  but 
a  sorry  man ;  how  much  more  is  she  but  a  sorry 
woman  who  must  needs  resort  to  these  adventitious 
means  of  influence  or  distinction.  No  :  so  far  from 
depressing  the  female  sex,  it  was  the  wise  intent  of 
Providence  in  this  arrangement  to  elevate  her  to  the 
highest  point  of  the  most  excellent  worth  and  influ¬ 
ence  ;  to  protect  her,  who  was  to  be  the  model  of  all 
that  is  lovely  in  character  and  the  source  of  the  most 
transforming  and  benign  influence  upon  the  world, 
from  all  temptation  to  seek  the  more  outward  and 
vulgar  forms  of  honor — to  shine  in  the  adventitious 
distinctions  of  office,  to  challenge  for  her  fair  name 
a  place  in  the  rude  ballot-box,  or  among  the  candi¬ 
dates  for  public  office,  or  in  the  noisy  halls  of  state ; 
to  covet  for  herself  a  share  with  those  who  would 
shine  in  public  exploits.  Hers  was  to  be  pre-emi¬ 
nently  the  intrinsic  worth,  the  essential  honor,  the 


24 


APPROPRIATE  SPHERE  OF  WOMAN. 


pure  moral  influence  of  'personal  excellence;  always 
unaspiring,  always  modest  and  delicate,  always  gen¬ 
tle  and  kind,  always  full  of  mercy  and  good  fruits  ; 
whose  subject  is  always  most  loved  and  admired 
where  most  known,  and  of  course  always  most  loved 
and  admired  at  home ,  and  then  by  all  who  know  her. 
Who  can  tell  how  great  the  influence,  how  wide  and 
lasting  the  blessing,  which  the  woman  of  such  a 
character  will  bequeath  to  the  world,  or  how  radiant 
the  glory  with  which  Christ  will  adorn  her  head  in 
the  last  day  ? 

But  oh  how  fallen  from  this  high  elevation  is  she 
when,  impatient  of  her  proper  sphere,  she  steps  forth 
to  assume  the  duties  of  the  man,  and,  impelled  by 
false  zeal,  with  conscience  misguided,  does  as  even 
man  ought  not  to  do — when,  forsaking  the  domestic 
hearth,  her  delicate  voice  is  heard  from  house  to 
house,  or  in  social  assemblies,  rising  in  harsh  un¬ 
natural  tones  of  denunciation  against  civil  laws  and 
rulers,  against  measures  involving  political  and  state 
affairs  of  which  she  is  nearly  as  ignorant  as  the  child 
she  left  at  home  in  the  cradle,  against  churches  and 
ministers,  perhaps  her  own  pastor,  and  certainly  all 
who  dissent  from  her  views ;  expecting  to  refoim 
politics  and  churches,  and  to  put  down  every  real 
and  supposed  evi]  in  them,  by  the  right  arm  of  fe¬ 
male  power,  and  clamorous  for  the  organization  of 
female  societies  for  this  specific  object ;  not  slow  to 
anathematize  all  who  do  not  submit  to  her  dictation, 
in  the  stereotype  phraseology  of  certain  modern 


APPROPRIATE  SPHERE  OF  WOMAN. 


25 


charity,  as  “  time-serving  men  ”  and  “  canting  hypo¬ 
crites  and  withal  very  sure  that  the  world  will 
never  go  right  till  women  take  the  lead  !  What  a 
sad  wreck  of  female  loveliness  is  she  then  !  She 
can  hardly  conceive  how  ridiculous  she  appears  in 
the  eyes  of  all  sober,  discreet,  judicious  Christian 
men,  or  how  great  the  reproach  she  brings  upon  her 
sex.  Despite  of  gallantry,  her  power  over  the  minds 
of  men  is  then  at  an  end ;  she  must  henceforth 
“fight  as  one  that  beateth  the  air.”  Men  will  smile 
or  pity,  and  let  her  pass  on ;  for  to  expostulate  or 
argue  they  will  soon  find  to  be  in  vain,  inasmuch  as 
she  is  certainly  right,  has  nothing  to  learn,  and  is 
bent  only  on  teaching. 

But  I  would  treat  this  subject  with  great  tender¬ 
ness.  Many  of  those  who  have  fallen  into  this  mis¬ 
taken  and  unhappy  course  were  originally  moved  by 
good  feelings  and  benevolent  motives.  But  they  fell 
under  the  influence  of  bad  teachers.  Some  flaming 
periodical  or  plausible  and  exciting  lecturer  kindled 
up  a  false  fire  in  their  too  credulous  and  susceptible 
but  well  meaning  bosoms.  They  are  misguided. 
They  verily  think  they  are  “  doing  God  service.” 
They  perhaps  even  covet  to  be  “  persecuted  for 
righteousness’  sake,”  and  consider  every  effort  to  cor¬ 
rect  their  way  as  this  kind  of  persecution.  They 
very  sincerely  suppose  that  they  are  far  in  advance 
of  their  unenlightened,  less  philanthropic,  or  more 
timid  sisters.  They  are  willing  to  brave  public  sen¬ 
timent  at  all  hazards.  They  have  entire  confidence 
3 


26 


APPROPRIATE  SPHERE  OF  WOMAN. 


in  the  righteousness  and  the  success  of  their  cause. 
As  to  their  logic  and  their  arguments,  they  cannot 
be  resisted ;  they  have  already  seen  some  strong 
men  l'  quail  under  them.”  They  have  only  to  go 
forward  with  increasing  effort — to  throw  themselves 
boldly  into  this  Thermopyloe.  The  sacrifice  is  de¬ 
manded,  and  they  are  ready  to  make  it.  They  un¬ 
fortunately  suppose  that  the  public  odium  which  they 
encounter  for  stepping  out  of  their  appropriate  sphere 
is  nothing  more  nor  less  than  the  hostility  of  sin  to 
the  cause  of  truth  and  righteousness.  Far  be  it 
from  me  to  impugn  motives  so  long  as  any  favorable 
construction  remains  for  them  ;  and  those  persons 
who  are  actuated  by  such  views  and  motives  as 
these  are  surely  rather  to  be  pitied  than  reproached. 

Some  will  only  be  spurred  on  to  more  desperate 
steps  by  whatever  may  be  said  to  restrain  them ; 
others  will  see  their  error,  retreat  to  their  appro¬ 
priate  sphere,  and  recover  the  character  which  they 
had  wellnigh  lost.  To  some  a  faithful  exposition 
of  the  gospel  upon  this  subject,  as  well  as  upon  all 
others,  will  prove  a  “  savor  of  life  unto  life  ;  ”  to 
others,  of  “death  unto  death.”  But  here,  as  in  all 
other  cases,  our  hope  is  mainly  to  save  those  who 
are  not  far  gone  and  fully  committed,  and  who  of 
course  are  yet  susceptible  to  instructions  from  the 
Bible  respecting  their  duty.  So  long  as  they  retain 
the  characteristic  graces  of  their  sex  in  lively  exer¬ 
cise,  so  long  as  delicacy  and  modesty  and  the  finer 
feelings  of  retiring  and  unostentatious  benevolence 


APPROPRIATE  SPHERE  OF  WOMAN. 


27 


nave  the  ascendency  over  them,  if  they  are  well  in¬ 
formed  of  what  is  passing*  they  will  be  quick  to  dis¬ 
cern  the  meaning  and  the  importance  of  the  inspired 
lessons  upon  this  subject.  Such,  in  a  high  degree, 
God  be  thanked,  is  still  the  character  of  most  of  the 
female  sex  in  our  country. 

But  those  females  who  suppose  that  no  bad  in¬ 
fluences  are  at  work  among  them,  who  suppose  that 
no  alarming  danger  threatens  them,  who  suppose 
that  there  are  as  yet  none  on  whom  the  inspired 
rebukes  upon  this  subject  justly  fall,  and  who  of 
course  suppose  that  such  cautions  and  admonitions 
as  this  discourse  humbly  attempts  are  uncalled  for, 
have  not  diligently  observed  the  “  signs  of  the 
times.”  It  may  be  very  well.  They  have  been, 
perhaps,  attending  exclusively  to  their  own  affairs ; 
and  the  very  fact  that  they  do  not  at  once  see  the 
importance  or  the  application  of  these  instructions, 
may  be  evidence  that  they  themselves  do  not  need 
them  except  as  preventives.  The  principle  of  pre¬ 
vention,  rather  than  of  cure,  is  the  apology  for  pre¬ 
senting  this  subject  at  the  present  time.  It  may  not 
be  the  duty  of  every  person  to  watch  the  signs  of 
the  times,  but  it  is  certainly  the  duty  of  some  to  do 
it ;  and  those  whom  God  has  set  expressly  as  watch¬ 
men  to  his  people,  and  to  whom  he  has  said,  “  Hear 
the  word  at  my  mouth,  and  warn  them  from  me,” 
must  not  withhold  the  warning  when  they  see  the 
evil  approaching.  They  must  anticipate  its  arrival. 
Let  the  admonitions  of  the  gospel  upon  this  subject 


i  + 

28  APPROPRIATE  SPHERE  OF  WOMAN. 

go  before  and  prevent  the  threatening  evil.  Let  ita 
salutary  voice  of  warning  be  heard  in  all  the  land 
before  the  plague  has  spread  over  it  and  killed, 
wherever  it  can,  the  “  presiding  genius  ”  and  the 
“  potent  charm  ”  of  the  “  fair  sex,”  and  thus  laid  all 
domestic  piety  and  happiness,  nay  the  domestic  con¬ 
stitution  itself,  in  a  deep  and  dark  grave.  For  surely 
as  this  unsexing  process  goes  on  till  it  becomes  uni¬ 
versal,  not  an  individual  will  remain  for  man  to  love 
with  the  true  conjugal  affection,  unless  himself  first 
becomes  a  woman.  Have  we  yet  to  learn  that 
similar  magnets  repel  ? 

And  even  if  man  could  succeed  to  engage  his 
affections  to  so  unnatured  and  repulsive  an  object  as 
a  woman  that  has  lost  the  characteristic  graces  of  her 
sex,  who  in  his  right  mind  would  hazard  his  hand 
and  happiness  with  one  that  has  already  entered 
upon  a  course  so  ominous  of  domestic  trouble  ?  Is 
it  not  well  known  by  the  cautious  observer,  that  the 
woman  who  is  what  the  apostle  calls  “  a  busy-body 
in  other  men’s  matters”  has  left  an  u 
— first  rendered  such  by  her  own  neglect  or  indis¬ 
cretion  or  peevishness,  and  from  which  she  now 
flees  in  search  of  happiness.  Depend  upon  it,  it  is 
generally  the  case  that  the  woman  who  is  much 
abroad  has  left  an  unhappy  home. 

It  may  be  supposed  by  some  that  these  instructions 
have  no  application  to  any  but  married  females.  It 
is  true  that  those  who  have  no  families  to  care  for 
may  have  more  time  than  wives  and  mothers  have 


nhappy  home  ? 


APPROPRIATE  SPHERE  OF  WOMAN. 


29 


to  devote  to  matters  abroad.  But  how  many  have 
not  parents,  or  brothers  or  sisters,  or  home,  to  bless 
with  most  of  their  presence  and  attentions  ?  Those 
who  can  command  a  larger  part  of  their  time  to  de¬ 
vote  to  Christian  conversation  and  to  deeds  of  kind¬ 
ness  and  charity  abroad,  in  ways  comprehended  in 
the  appropriate  sphere  of  female  action,  may  con¬ 
sider  it  their  privilege  and  duty  to  do  it.  It  is  our 
happiness  to  know  some  such  women,  who,  although 

v 

not  mothers  of  families,  are  “  mothers  in  Israel,” 
whose  characters  savor  of  nothing  but  the  strictest 
female  propriety  and  the  highest  excellence,  whose 
time  is  nevertheless  mostly  devoted  to  benevolent 
deeds  among  the  ignorant,  the  destitute,  the  vicious, 
or  the  afflicted.  Such  are  deserving  of  all  praise. 
Those  who  would  see  one  of  the  happiest  illustra¬ 
tions  of  this  will  do  well  to  read  the  life  of  Hannah 
More. 

It  is  unnecessary  to  attempt  to  define  the  exact 
line  over  which  the  graces  of  female  character  forbid 
woman  to  step,  but  from  the  scriptures  which  we 
have  introduced  we  may  easily  trace  its  general  di¬ 
rection.  It  respects,  both  the  things  which  she  does 
and  her  manner  of  doing  them. 

To  perform  deeds  of  personal  charity  and  kind¬ 
ness  to  the  destitute  and  afflicted ;  to  converse 
modestly  or  to  employ  the  pen  upon  subjects  which 
engage  her  mind  and  interest  her  heart ;  to  assist  in 
the  circulation  of  approved  religious  tracts  ;  to  act 
the  part  of  a  personal  or  a  private  teacher,  wheffl^ 
3* 


30 


APPROPRIATE  SPHERE  OF  WOMAlN. 


secular  or  religious ;  to  engage  in  small  social  cir* 
cles  of  her  own  sex  in  the  duties  of  devotion  and  of 
Christian  conversation ;  to  solicit  charity  for  approved 
benevolent  objects,  by  private  application — deeds 
like  these,  if  performed  with  the  spirit  and  manner 
which  become  her,  appear  to  be  comprehended  with¬ 
in  the  sphere  which  the  Scriptures  assign  to  the 
female  sex ;  and  I  know  of  no  female  virtue  on  which 
they  necessarily  encroach. 

But  when  females  undertake  to  assume  the  place 
of  public  teachers,  whether  to  both  sexes  or  only  to 
their  own ;  when  they  form  societies  for  the  purpose 
of  sitting  in  judgment  and  acting  upon  the  affairs 
of  the  church  and  state  ;  when  they  travel  about 
from  place  to  place  as  lecturers,  teachers,  and  guides 
to  public  sentiment;  when  they  assemble  in  con¬ 
ventions  to  discuss  questions,  pass  resolutions,  make 
speeches,  and  vote  upon  civil,  political,  moral,  and 
religious  matters  ;  when  they  begin  to  send  up  their 
names  to  gentlemen  holding  official  stations,  gravely 
declaring  their  own  judgment  in  regard  to  what  they 
ought  to  do,  and  informing  them,  with  solemn  men¬ 
ace,  what  they  have  themselves  determined  to  do  if 
they  do  not  yield  to  their  wishes — even  to  repeat  the 
expression  of  their  sentiments  until  they  do  yield ; 
when  they  attempt  the  reformation  of  morals  by  en¬ 
gaging  in  free  conversation  and  discussion  upon 
those  things  of  which  the  apostle  says  “  it  is  a  shame 
even  to  speak ;  ”  when  they  encourage  meetings  and 
measures  like  the  above,  either  by  their  presence. 


APPROPRIATE  SPHERE  OF  WOMAN. 


31 


countenance,  or  service ; — in  short,  when  the  dis¬ 
tinguishing  graces  of  modesty,  deference,  delicacy 
and  sweet  charity  are  in  any  way  displaced  by  the 
opposite  qualities  of  boldness,  arrogance,  rudeness, 
indelicacy,  and  the  spirit  of  denunciation  of  men 
and  measures,  so  that  they  give  any  just  occasion 
for  being  denominated,  by  way  of  distinction,  “  the 
female  brethren  ” — it  is  then  no  longer  a  question 
whether  they  have  stretched  themselves  beyond  their 
measure  and  violated  the  inspired  injunction  which 
saith,  “  Let  the  woman  learn  in  silence  with  all  sub¬ 
jection  ;  but  I  suffer  not  a  woman  to  teach,  nor  to 
usurp  authority  over  the  man,  but  to  be  in  silence.” 

And  why  should  any  woman  thus  sacrifice  her¬ 
self  ?  Does  duty  demand  it  ?  Must  she  do  it  for 
conscience’  sake  ?  However  good  the  object,  it  can¬ 
not  be  duty  to  seek  its  promotion  by  such  means  as 
these.  The  end  can  never  justify  the  means,  in 
the  estimation  of  any  whose  conscience  is  not  per¬ 
verted.  Does  she  do  it  for  the  sake  of  the  suffering 
or  the  oppressed,  or  to  correct  moral  evils  and  ex¬ 
terminate  vice  ?  There  is  “  a  more  excellent  way” 
to  do  this,  and  also  at  the  same  time  to  promote  and 
elevate  her  own  character ;  a  way  clearly  indicated, 
as  we  have  seen,  in  the  word  of  God.  It  can  never 
be  the  duty  of  any  one  to  attempt  to  benefit  others 
at  the  sacrifice  of  her  own  character.  Is  her  object 
persona]  distinction  ?  Let  her  contemplate  such 
characters  as  Hannah  More  and  Isabella  Graham, 
than  which  lovelier  and  brighter  never  shone  upon 


32  APPROPRIATE  SPHERE  OF  WOMAN. 

earth,  in  contrast  with  those  who  have  acquired  an 
unenviable  distinction  in  these  unchristian  ways — 
the  Royals  and  the  Darusmonts  of  our  day — and  she 
may  see  that  the  surest  way  to  true  glory  is  the  one 
ordained  for  her  by  God .  The  world  has  had  enough 
of  Fanny  Wrights  ;  whether  they  appear  in  the  name 
of  avowed  infidelity,  or  of  civil  and  human  rights,  or 
of  political  economy,  or  of  morals  and  religion,  their 
tendency  is  ultimately  the  same — the  alienation  of 
the  sexes,  the  subversion  of  the  distinguishing  ex¬ 
cellence  and  benign  influence  of  woman  in  society, 
the  destruction  of  the  domestic  constitution,  the  pros¬ 
tration  of  all  decency  and  order,  the  reign  of  wild 
anarchy  and  shameless  vice.  Thomas  Paine  could 
not  desire  better  disciples  ;  nor  would  it  much  con¬ 
cern  him  in  what  name  or  cause  they  might  profess 
to  appear,  since  the  ultimate  effect  is  one  and  the 
same. 

May  those  who  emulate  the  noble  example  of  the 
Mores  and  the  Grahams  of  both  continents  be  greatly 
multiplied.  May  the  “  daughters  of  America,”  ob¬ 
servant  of  the  true  dignity  and  glory  of  their  sex, 
consecrating  their  earliest  and  best  affections  to  the 
Savior,  increase  the  excellence  and  power  of  their 
influence  a  thousand  fold.  The  universal  reign  of 
domestic  happiness,  the  end  of  g.11  oppression,  the 
extermination  of  vice,  the  conversion  of  souls,  to¬ 
gether  with  the  growing  spirituality  and  vigor  of  the 
Christian  church — the  approach  of  the  Redeemer’s 
kingdom,  bringing  whatsoever  is  pure  and  lovely 


APPROPRIATE  SPHERE  OF  WOMAN. 


33 


and  of  good  report — will  then  be  rapidly  hastened. 
Zion  will  begin  to  “  look  forth  as  the  morning,  fair 
as  the  moon,  clear  as  the  sun,  and  terrible  as  an 
army  with  banners.”  She  will  put  on  her  “  beau¬ 
tiful  garments ;  ”  her  “  righteousness  will  go  forth  a 
brightness,  and  her  salvation  as  a  lamp  that  burn 
eth ;  ”  paradise,  lost  by  the  fall,  will  hasten  its  return 
It  will  then  appear  that  the  sacred  influence  of  pious 
females,  acting  in  their  appropriate  sphere,  is  second 
to  no  other  human  influence  for  excellence  or  im¬ 
portance  in  accomplishing  the  renovation  of  the 
world ;  for  “  the  wilderness  and  the  solitary  place 
shall  be  glad  for  them,  and  the  desert  shall  rejoice 
and  blossom  as  the  rose.” 


\ 


n 


1 


\ 


THE  INFLUENCE  OF  CHRISTIANITY 

ON  WOMAN. 


“  And  of  the  chief  women  not  a  few  * 

The  abject  condition  of  the  female  ocx  in  all  out 
Christian  countries  is  universally  known  and  admit¬ 
ted.  In  all  savage  and  pagan  tribes  the  severest 
burdens  of  physical  toil  are  laid  upon  their  shoul¬ 
ders  :  they  are  chiefly  valued  for  the  same  reason 
that  men  value  their  more  useful  animals,  or  as  ob¬ 
jects  of  theii  sensual  and  selfish  desires.  Even  in 
the  learned  an  1  dignified  forms  of  eastern  paganism, 
“  the  wife,’'  su^-s  one  who  has  spent  seventeen  years 
among  them,  “  is  he  slave  rather  than  the  compan¬ 
ion  of  her  husband.  She  is  not  allowed  to  walk 
with  him,  she  must  walk  behind  him — not  to  eat 
with  him,  she  must  eat  after  him,  and  eat  of  what 
he  leaves .  She  must  not  sleep  until  he  is  asleep, 
nor  remain  asleep  after  he  is  awake.  If  -she  is  sit¬ 
ting  and  he  comes  in,  she  should  rise  up.  She 
should,  say  their  sacred  books,  have  no  other  god 
on  earth  than  her  husband.  Him  she  should  wor¬ 
ship  while  he  lives,  and,  when  he  dies,  she  should 


INFLUENCE  OF  CHRISTIANITY,  &C. 


35 


be  burnt  with  him.” — “  As  the  widow,”  in  case  she 
is  not  burnt,  “is  not  allowed  to  marry  again,  is  often 
considered  little  better  than  an  outcast,  and  not  un- 
frequently  sinks  into  gross  vice,  her  life  can  scarcely 
be  considered  a  blessing.”  The  same  author  re¬ 
marks  that  “  there  is  little  social  intercourse  between 
the  sexes,  little  or  no  acquaintance  of  the  parties  be* 
fore  marriage,  and  consequently  little  mutual  attach¬ 
ment;  and  as  there  is  an  absolute  vacuity  and  dark¬ 
ness  in  the  minds  of  the  females,  who  are  not  al¬ 
lowed  even  to  learn  to  read,  there  is  no  solid  foun¬ 
dation  laid  for  domestic  happiness.” 

If  we  pass  into  the  dominions  of  the  crescent, 
we  find  the  condition  of  females,  in  some  respects, 
rather  worse,  it  would  seem,  than  better.  For  in  pa¬ 
gan  India,  debased  and  abused  as  woman  is,  she  is 
still  allowed  some  interest  in  religion,  and  some  com¬ 
mon  expectations  with  the  other  sex  concerning  the 
future  state.  But  in  Mohammedan  countries,  even 
this  is  nearly  or  quite  denied  her.  “  It  is  a  popular 
tradition  among  the  Mohammedans,  which  obtains  to 
this  day,  that  women  shall  not  enter  paradise  and  it 
requires  some  effort  for  the  imagination  to  conceive 
how  debased  and  wretched  must  be  the  condition  of 
the  female  sex,  to  originate  and  sustain  such  a  hor¬ 
rible  and  blasphemous  tradition. 

Even  in  the  refined  and  shining  ages  of  Egypt, 
Greece,  and  Rome,  where  the  cultivation  of  letters, 
the  graces  of  finished  style,  the  charms  of  poetry  and 
eloquence,  the  elegancies  of  architecture,  sculpture 


1 


36  INFLUENCE  OF  CHRISTIANITY 

painting,  and  embroidery,  the  glory  of  conquest  and 
the  pride  of  national  distinction,  were  unsurpassed 
by  any  people  before  or  since,  even  then  and  there 
what  was  woman  but  the  abject  slave  of  man  ? — the 
object  of  his  ambition,  or  his  avarice,  or  his  lust,  or 
his  power  ? — the  alternate  victim  of  his  pleasure,  his 
disgust,  or  his  cruelty  ? — the  creature  of  his  caprice  ? 
— and,  what  is  still  worse,  the  menial  slave  of  her 
own  mental  darkness,  moral  debasement,  and  vicious 
indulgences  ?  If  history  does  not  lie,  the  answer  is 
decisive.  This,  and  almost  only  this,  was  she. 

So  far  down  as  the  close  of  the  sixteenth  century, 
a  Latin  author  wrote  a  book  to  prove  that  women 
are  not  rational  beings,  have  no  souls,  and  that  there 
awaits  them  no  future,  life  or  happiness  beyond  the 
grave.  This  may  have  been  intended  as  a  severe 
humor,  a  sarcastic  argument  for  a  particular  end, 
rather  than  a  serious  confirmation  of  so  shocking  a 
dogma;  yef  «uch  was  its  influence  that  Simon 
Gedicus,  a  Lumeran  divine,  deemed  it  important  to 
write  a  serious  confutation  of  this  work,  in  1595, 
“  wherein,”  says  a  certain  author,  “  women  are  re¬ 
stored  to  the  expectation  of  heaven,  on  their  good 
behavior.” 

Such  then  is  the  debased  and  forlorn  condition  of 
woman  as  the  ruins  of  the  fall  have  left  her,  and 
wherever  the  benign  influences  from  a  better  world 
have  not  reached  her. 

But  how  gloriously  does  Christianity  reverse  all 
this.  As  if  to  set  her  on  high  forever,  the  natural  pa 


ON  WOMAN. 


37 


rent  of  the  world’s  Savior  was  a  woman ; — the  tears 
of  joy  that  bedewed  his  infant  cheeks  were  a  wo¬ 
man’s  tears  ,— the  arms  that  fondly  clasped  the  sweet 
babe,  and  laid  him  softly  down  to  slumber  in  the 
manger,  were  a  woman’s  arms ; — yes,  and  it  was  a 
woman  who  first  felt  the  redeeming  and  ^elevating 
power  of  Christianity,  and  with  exultation  sang, 
“  My  soul  doth  magnify  the  Lord,  and  my  spirit 
hath  rejoiced  in  God  my  Savior;  for  he  hath  re¬ 
garded  the  low  estate  of  his  handmaiden ;  for  be¬ 
hold,  from  henceforth  all  generations  will  call  me 
blessed.” 

Not  only  was  the  Savior’s  childhood  protected  and 
blessed  by  female  care,  but  through  his  whole  life 
women  were  in  constant  attendance  upon  his  minis¬ 
try.  It  was  woman’s  hospitality  which  furnished 
his  table ;  woman’s  penitence  which  washed  his 
feet  with  her  tears  and  wiped  them  with  the  hairs 
of  her  head ;  woman’s  sorrow  which  bewailed  and 
lamented  him,  as  he  ascended  with  mournful  steps 
to  Calvary;  woman’s  love,  stronger  than  death, 
which  followed  his  body  to  the  sepulchre  to  see  how 
it  was  laid  ;  woman’s  fidelity  which  prepared  spices 
and  ointments  to  embalm  it ;  woman’s  faithful  piety 
which  was  earliest  at  the  sepulchre,  had  the  first 
view  of  the  risen  Savior,  and  proclaimed  the  glad 
tidings  to  the  world. 

When,  in  obedience  to  the  command  of  their 
risen  Lord,  the  disciples  went  forth  and  proclaimed 
the  gospel,  women  were  among  the  first  and  most 
4 


38 


INFLUENCE  OF  CHRISTIANITY 


zealous  believers  ;  and  our  text  records,  to  the  honor 
of  their  sex,  that  when  Paul  had  spent  three  Sab¬ 
baths  in  one  of  the  chief  cities  of  Macedonia,  rea¬ 
soning  with  the  people  out  of  the  Scriptures,  open¬ 
ing  and  alleging  that  it*  was  needful  that  Christ 
should  suffer  and  rise  again  from  the  dead,  “  some 
of  the  people  believed  and  joined  themselves  to 
Paul  and  Silas,  and  of  the  devout  Greeks  a  great 
multitude,  and  of  the  chief  women  not  a  few.”  They 
were  the  chief  women,  and  not  a  few  of  them,  that 
received  the  Son  of  God  and  joined  themselves  to 
his  people.  While,  as  the  context  informs,  the  Jews, 
who  believed  not,  moved  with  envy,  and  certain  vile 
fellows  of  the  baser  sort,  could  find  no  better  thing 
to  do  than  to  lift  up  their  impotent  and  blood-stained 
hands  against  Jesus  Christ,  these  chief  women ,  of 
noble  spirit,  together  with  the  devout  Greeks,  gave 
their  hearts  and  their  hands  to  speed  the  cause  of 
human  redemption. 

It  has  ever  been  a  favorite  taunt  of  infidels  and 
scorners,  that  Christianity  is  so  much  embraced  by 
women.  “  It  is  a  religion,”  say  they,  “  for  women 
and  children  thus  associating  women  with  children, 
making  puerility  of  intellect  and  feebleness  of  un¬ 
derstanding  characteristic  of  their  sex.  We  need 
not  here  pause  to  rebuke  the  scandal  which,  in  their 
zeal  to  injure  Christianity,  they  thus  cast  upon  the 
female  sex ;  but  would  only  say,  that  if  there  were 
any  meaning  or  force  in  it,  so  far  from  being  a  re¬ 
proach  to  Christianity,  it  were  rather  an  honor  to 


i 


ON  WOMAN. 


39 


the  female  sex,  that  so  many  of  them  have  the  dis¬ 
cernment  and  the  moral  sense  to  see  the  beauty  and 
yield  to  the  claims  of  divine  truth. 

There  are  natural  reasons,  however,  as  I  conceive, 
why  there  are  more  converts  to  Christianity  from 
among’  women  than  men,  of  such  a  nature  as  at 
once  to  break  the  teeth  of  the  infidel’s  scandal,  and 
take  from  woman  all  dangerous  occasion  for  glory¬ 
ing.  I  suppose  the  fact  that  more  women  than  men 
do  become  pious,  will  not  be  doubted.  St.  Augustine 
denominated  them  in  his  day,  it  is  said,  “  the  devout 
sex;”  and  whether  that  designation  was  originally 
intended  only  for  those  specially  consecrated  or  not,  it 
certainly  applies  with  much  truth  and  propriety  to 
the  sex,  as  such,  in  every  age.  It  is  believed  that 
in  most  of  the  Christian  churches  of  both  conti¬ 
nents  there  are  more  females  than  males ;  and  that 
if  the  aggregate  of  all  the  true  believers  and  faithful 
followers  of  Christ  upon  the  face  of  the  earth  could 
be  taken,  the  number  from  the  female  sex  would 
much  exceed  that  from  the  other.  But  there  are 
causes  for  this,  which  go  to  show  that  it  implies  no 
superiority  in  the  one  sex  over  the  other,  or  any  inap¬ 
titude  in  the  Christian  religion  to  intellects  of  both 

/ 

sexes  and  of  all  grades. 

The  principle  is  this. — Religion  does  not  come 
and  take  possession  of  the  human  soul  by  any 
accident  or  caprice,  nor  by  any  physical  violence. 
It  is  the  result  of  consideration,  thought,  reflec¬ 
tion,  bestowed  upon  the  subject  in  sufficient  relative 


I 


% 


40  INFLUENCE  OF  CHRISTIANITY 

measure  to  secure,  through  divine  influence,  the 
moral  change  in  question.  Hence  absorbing  devo¬ 
tion  to  any  other  object,  or  subjection  to  any  vice, 
will  operate  to  resist  the  Spirit  and  repel  religion. 
The  causes  by  which  we  are  induced  to  embrace 
Christianity  are  of  two  kinds,  natural  and  super¬ 
natural.  By  the  former  I  designate  all  that  is  com¬ 
prehended  in  means,  by  the  latter  the  influence  of 
the  Holy  Spirit.  I  believe  the  latter  influence 
to  be  always  essentially  concerned  in  regeneration, 
and  in  every  stage  of  sanctification,  but  that  it  ordi¬ 
narily  operates  in  connection  with  means.  Now  if 
we  should  suppose  the  same  intellectual  adaptation 
of  Christianity  to  the  male  as  to  the  female  intellect, 
and  the  same  influence  of  the  divine  Spirit  upon 
each,  but  yet  if  at  the  same  time  the  natural  causes 
should  in  the  one  case  be  superior  to  what  they 
are  in  the  other,  there  would  still  be  seen  to  be  a 
sufficient  reason  why  there  are  more  numerous  ex¬ 
amples  of  Christian  piety  among  women  than  among 
men. 

Let  us  then  proceed  to  notice  some  of  the  natural 
causes  which  operate  in  favor  of  female  piety. 

1.  Women  are  less  exposed  than  men  to  those 

vices  which  are  incompatible  with  Christian  piety ; 

such  as  intemperance,  licentiousness,  gambling,  and 

all  kinds  of  debauchery.  The  constitution  and 

*/ 

habits  of  civilized  countries  throw  up  a  very  high 
and  strong  fortification  around  female  virtue.  If 
man  is  willing  to  be  vicious  himself,  he  is  not  wil- 


ON  WOMAN. 


41 


ling  that  woman  should  be  ;  at  least,  he  will  despise 
her  and  cast  her  out  from  society  if  she  is.  Men 
may  indulge  in  vices  to  some  extent,  and  yet  hold 
high  their  heads,  and  move  and  shine  in  society. 
They  may  practise  them  in  secret;  in  places  remote 
from  home,  where  they  are  not  known  ;  under  co¬ 
vert  of  darkness  and  pretence  of  business ;  in  com¬ 
pany  with  those  whose  voices  are  never  heard  in  the 
society  in  which  they  move ; — and  even  if  their 
vices  are  known,  unless  they  are  excessive,  the  fair 
sex,  so  kind  and  forgiving  are  they,  still  admit  them 
into  their  society,  and  give  them  the  smile  of  indul¬ 
gence. 

But  these  are  things  which  woman  cannot  do. 
She  cannot,  in  the  first  place,  'practise  vices  without 
being  known,  as  men  can  ;  and,  in  the  second  place, 
if  she  is  known  to  be  in  any  degree  vicious — if  a 
single  vice  is  found  upon  her — the  star  of  her  beauty 
is  set,  her  fair  name  is  blighted  forever,  she  is  an 
outcast  from  society.  Hence  the  footsteps  of  female 
virtue  are  peculiarly  guarded,  circumspect,  cautious ; 
the  barrier  against  vice  is  too  high  to  scale,  the  gulf 
beneath  too  deep  and  awful  to  plunge.  Some,  in¬ 
deed,  do  surmount  the  barrier  and  fall ;  but  their 
fall  is  like  that  of  Lucifer.  They  are  henceforth 
known  only  as  objects  of  commiseration,  disgust,  and 
almost  hopeless  wretchedness.  Even  the  man  who 
seduced  her  from  the  paths  of  virtue  is  one  of  the 
first  to  despise  her  and  to  cast  her  down  to  remedi¬ 
less  ruin  ;  while  he  turns  away  from  her,  and  goes 
4# 


42 


INFLUENCE  OF  CHRISTIANITY 


j 


back  into  society  again,  to  play  the  gentleman 
there  ! 

Now  the  number  of  men  who  indulge  in  those 
vices  which  do  not  depose  them  from  a  standing  in 
society,  but  which  would  depose  females,  is  probably 
considerable ;  but  while  they  do  not  exclude  them 
from  the  society  of  their  fellow-men,  they  do  fatally 
exclude  them  from  the  kingdom  of  God.  It  is  not 
necessary  that  a  man,  in  order  to  ruin  his  soul, 
should  indulge  in  the  most  open,  abominable,  de¬ 
testable  excesses  of  vice  ;  it  is  only  necessary  that  he 
should  indulge  in  occasional,  concealed,  and  more 
refined  vices,  those  which  society  agrees  to  wink 
at.  “  For  this  ye  know,  that  no  lewd  nor  unclean 
person,  nor  drunkard,  nor  whatsoever  defileth  or 
worketh  abomination,  hath  any  part  in  the  kingdom 
of  Christ  or  of  God.’’  Any  vice,  no  matter  what  its 
form  and  complexion,  cherished,  and  not  renounced, 
will  exclude  a  man  from  the  kingdom  of  God  as 
effectually  as  jf  ten  thousand  iron  gates  were  bolted 
and  barred  against  him.  Hence  the  Savior  said, 
“  If  thy  right  eye  shall  cause  thee  to  sin,  pluck  it 
out,  and  cast  it  from  thee;  for  it  is  profitable  for  thee 
that  one  of  thy  members  should  perish,  and  not  that 
thy  whole  body  should  be  cast  into  hell.  And  if 
thy  right  hand  shall  cause  thee  to  sin,  cut  it  off,  and 
cast  it  from  thee ;  for  it  is  profitable  for  thee  that 
one  of  thy  members  should  perish,  and  not  that  thy 
whole  body  should  be  cast  into  hell.” 

Suppose,  now,  that  two  individuals  of  similar 


i 


ON  WOMAN. 


43 


mental  constitution  are  sitting  under  the  preaching 
of  the  gospel ;  but  the  one,  in  order  to  become  a  Chris¬ 
tian,  must  cut  off  his  right  hand  and  pluck  out  his 
right  eye  ;  the  other  has  no  such  sacrifice  to  make. 
Is  it  not,  then,  reasonable  to  suppose  that  the  same 
truth,  the  same  argument,  the  same  conviction,  and 
the  same  measure  of  divine  influence,  will  he  much 
more  likely  to  secure  the  conversion  of  the  latter 
than  of  the  former?  Undoubtedly.  Such  is  found 
to  be  the  fact.  And  it  remains  for  eternity  to  reveal 
thousands  of  conversions  to  God  from  among  females 
as  the  consequence  of  that  virtue  by  which,  as  a  sex, 
they  are  protected  ;  and  thousands  of  ruined  souls 
from  among  men,  as  the  fruit  of  those  vices  to  which, 
as  a  sex,  they  are  exposed,  and  to  which  they  wick¬ 
edly  yield. 

2.  Women  are  less  exposed  than  men  to  the  ab¬ 
sorbing  passion  of  gam.  So  predominant  and  ruin¬ 
ous  is  this  passion,  that  the  Scriptures  have  styled  it 
“  the  god  of  this  world,”  and  they  have  represented 
it  as  having  a  mighty  influence  in  blinding  the  minds 
of  men  to  the  glory  of  the  gospel.  “  If  our  gospel  is 
hid,  it  is  hid  to  them  that  are  lost ;  in  whom  the 
god  of  this  world  hath  blinded  the  minds  of  them 
that  believe  not,  lest  the  light  of  the  glorious  gospel 
of  Christ,  who  is  the  image  of  God,  should  shine  to 
them.”  “Ye  cannot  serve  God  and  Mammon.” 
Mammon,  you  well  know,  was  the  Syriac  god  of 
wealth. 

It  devolves  mainly  upon  men  to  provide  for  their 


i 


44  INFLUENCE  OF  CHRISTIANITY 

families  the  necessary  supports  of  life.  It  is  theirs 
to  cultivate  and  dispose  of  the  fruits  of  the  earth ; 
to  control  the  operations  and  secure  the  proceeds  of 
the  mechanic  arts ;  to  prosecute  and  realize  the 
avails  of  the  learned  professions  ;  to  move  around 
the  wheels  of  mercantile  enterprise  and  catch  the 
falling  bounty  ;  to  sieze,  with  eagle-eye,  the  distant 
gain,  and  speculate  in  houses  and  lands  and  stocks. 
For  woman  to  do  this,  would  ordinarily  he  quite  out 
of  place  and  character. 

Now  how  easy  and  natural  it  is,  in  a  \vorld  like  this, 
fallen  as  we  are,  for  a  reasonable  and  proper  desire 
of  gain,  in  them  so  much  devoted  to  it  as  men  are, 
to  degenerate  into  an  absorbing  passion  ;  so  that  pos¬ 
session,  instead  of  being  made  a  subordinate  means 
to  the  true  end  of  existence,  becomes  itself  the  ulti¬ 
mate  object,  the  god  and  portion  of  the  soul ;  to  which 
all  that  is  truly  good,  both  in  this  life  and  in  that 
which  is  to  come,  must  be  sacrificed. 

What  are  those  vices ,  to  which  I  have  just  alluded, 
but  constitutional  and  innocent  desires,  when  rightly 
restrained  and  governed,  let  loose  and  run  mad  ? 
And  what  is  the  passion  of  avarice  but  the  same 
thing?  Now  are  not  men  immeasurably  more  ex¬ 
posed  and  addicted  than  women  to  both  of  these 
iniquities  ;  and  do  not  both  of  them  equally  and  fa¬ 
tally  exclude  the  soul  from  heaven  ?  Hath  not  the 
voice  of  inspiration  declared  that  this  idolatrous  love 
of  money  is  a  “  root  of  all  evil,”  causing  those  who 
indulge  it  to  resist  the  truth  and  pierce  themselves 


ON  WOMAN. 


45 


through  with  many  sorrows  ?  And  does  not  the 
very  same  Scripture  say,  “  This  we  know,  that  no 
lewd  nor  unclean  person,  nor  covetous,  hath  any  in¬ 
heritance  in  the  kingdom  of  Christ  ?  ” 

3.  Women  are  less  exposed  than  men  to  the  lust 
of  civil  power ,  office,  dominion.  In  all  but  hereditary 
governments,  they  are  entirely  excluded  from  posts 
of  civil  distinction ;  and  there,  of  course,  is  little 
or  no  room  for  the  desire  or  pursuit  of  them,  since 
all  is  hereditary  and  fixed.  I  do  not  say  that  the 
desire  for  a  public  post  of  honor  and  influence  is 
always  and  of  necessity  sinful,  any  more  than  is  the 
desire  for  pleasure  or  for  property  ;  but  this  I  say, 
that  in  the  existing  state  of  the  world,  when  so  much 
chicanery  and  iniquity  are  practised  to  secure  office ; 
when,  for  this  object,  so  much  envy,  and  slander,  and 
shuffling,  and  strife,  and  wrath,  are  indulged  ;  when 
of  the  men  in  power  so  few  regard  the  precepts  of 
Christianity,  and  office  is  so  commonly  held,  not  for 
the  public  good  or  the  glory  of  God,  but  to  gratify 
the  lust  of  power  and  ambition  ;  it  is,  as  our  Savior 
said  of  the  man  devoted  to  riches,  among  the  almost 
impossible  things  for  a  man  in  pursuit  of  a  public 
office  to  enter  the  kingdom  of  heaven.  And  yet, 
what  multitudes  of  men  in  our  country  whose  hearts 
are  at  this  moment  burning  with  the  lust  of  office  ! 
How  many  have  entirely  sold  themselves  to  this 
god  !  To  this  they  live  and  breathe  and  have  their 
being.  To  this  they  offer  their  morning  and  eve¬ 
ning  devotions,  and  pay  their  costliest  sacrifice.  Tt 


i 

46  INFLUENCE  OF  CHRISTIANITY 

engager  their  first  and  their  latest  thoughts ;  it  even 
induces  them  to  profane  the  Sabbath  with  the  read¬ 
ing  of  political  news,  and  with  forming  their  unhal¬ 
lowed  schemes  of  ambition  ;  it  tempts  them  to  do 
many  things  which  their  own  consciences  condemn, 
and  ^’hich  they  know  full  well  they  must  not  do,  if 
they  would  be  the  followers  of  Christ.  “  How  can 
a  man  repent, one  has  justly  said,  “  wdiose  soul  is 
engrossed  with  the  wily  policy  of  ambition  ;  who 
seeks  office,  fame,  applause  ? — on  whose  favor  flatter¬ 
ers  hang,  and  around  whose  steps  thousands  are 
offering  the  incense  of  adulation  ? — whose  very 
business  is  a  species  of  evading  the  right  way  of 
honesty,  and  travelling  in  just  such  a  devious  path 
as  the  sinner  loves  to  tread  ?”  “  Where  is  the  man 

that  would  not  rather  climb  the  steeps  of  praise,  with 
incense  burning  around  him,  and  the  multitude  ren¬ 
dering  homage  at  his  feet,  than  be  found  pleading 
for  mercy  with  bitter  tears,  like  David,  the  best  of 
kings,  or  weeping  in  the  prayer  meeting,  or  in  his 
office,  or  counting-room  ?  ”  Upon  this  great  field 
of  public  strife,  this  land  of  war  and  blood  and  death, 
where  such  multitudes  of  men  peril  their  moral  in¬ 
terests  and  even  lay  down  their  lives  in  sacrifice, 
where  the  glories  of  heaven  and  the  terrors  of  hell 
are  equally  unheeded,  the  gentle  and  unaspiring  steps 
of  woman  do  not  enter.  She  treads  a  more  quiet 
and  virtuous  path,  where,  instead  of  the  noise  of  po¬ 
litical  strife,  the  shouts  of  conquest,  and  the  groans 
of  defeat,  she  is  saluted  with  tidings  from  a  better 


i 


ON  WOMAN. 


47 


world — where  the  silent  and  powerful  language  of 
truth,  the  voice  of  God,  the  entreaties  of  the  Savior; 
the  deep  and  solemn  echoes  from  eternity,  fall  on  her 
listening  ear  and  enter  her  heart. 

4.  Women  are  more  at  home  than  men.  More  se¬ 
cluded  from  the  agitations  of  society,  the  strifes  of 
ambition,  the  clamor  of  business,  the  excitements 
and  perils  of  war  and  of  military  prowess,  she 
is  ordinarily  more  favorably  crcumstanced  for  calm 
and  serious  reflection.  Less  exposed  to  the  feverish 
air  of  the  world,  she  is  thus  enabled  to  breathe 
more  of  the  cool  and  healthful  atmosphere  of  a 
better  clime.  Of  all  places  upon  earth,  the  calm 
domestic  retreat,  in  connection  with  the  sanctuary, 
is  most  favorable  to  virtuous  contemplation,  to  moral 
elevation,  and  true  Christian  piety.  It  is  not  in  the 
midst  of  the  rush  of  business,  or  the  agitations  of 
civil  and  political  life,  or  the  shouts  of  armies  and 
battles,  or  any  of  those  out  of  door  scenes  in  which 
so  large  a  portion  of  man’s  life  is  spent,  that  serious 
and  salutary  thoughts  of  God,  of  death,  judgment, 
and  eternity,  are  wont  to  visit  the  soul.  No — it  is 
in  that  more  favored  place — home — nearest  the  sanc¬ 
tuary  and  nearest  heaven  ;  the  rightful  dominion  of 
woman  ;  where  she  passes,  unmolested,  most  of  her 
time  ;  where  she  finds  most  of  her  employment,  and 
where  she  shines  in  her  purest  and  brightest  lustre. 
When  I  preach  the  gospel  to  women,  I  encourage 
myself  with  the  thought  that  they  will  go  home  to 
think  upon  it ;  but  when  I  preach  the  gospel  to  men, 


48  INFLUENCE  OF  CHRISTIANITY 

I  am  often  disheartened  with  the  fear  that  they  will 
go  out  into  the  bustling  world  and  forget  it. 

5.  Women  are  more  exposed  than  men  to  those 
sufferings  and  trials  which  render  religion  pecu¬ 
liarly  acceptable.  That  sufferings  of  various  kinds 
are  among  the  means  ordained  and  adapted  to  bring 
us  to  Christ,  is  a  doctrine  taught  both  in  the  Bible 
and  by  our  own  experience  and  observation  ;  and 
that  by  far  the  greater  portion  of  human  sufferings 
falls  to  the  female  sex,  is  a  fact  equally  known  and 
admitted. 

If  we  speak  of  ■‘physical  sufferings,  the  delicacy  and 
frailty  of  her  frame,  the  susceptibility  of  her  nervous 
system,  together  with  the  more  peculiar  and  exclu¬ 
sive  sufferings  of  her  sex,  enhanced  and  embittered 
as  they  are  in  consequence  of  the  apostasy,  accord¬ 
ing  to  the  declaration,  “  I  will  greatly  multiply  thy 
sorrows,”  &c.,  prolonged  through  all  ages  and  ex¬ 
tending  to  all  ranks  and  conditions,  there  is  in  them 
much  that  is  calculated  to  wean  her  spirit  from  the 
flesh,  and  induce  her  trembling  and  anxious  soul  to 
seek  for  sympathy  and  safety  in  Christ.  While  the 
more  sturdy  frame  and  iron  nerves  of  man,  and  his 
exemption  from  the  most  and  the  severest  of  the  ills 
that  flesh  is  heir  to,  are  by  him  too  often  perverted 
to  an  occasion  of  forgetting  that  his  breath  is  in  his 
nostrils  and  his  foundation  in  the  dust. 

If  we  speak  of  mental  sufferings,  the  liveliness 
and  keenness  of  her  susceptibilities ;  her  imminent 
exposure  to  those  defeats,  griefs,  and  disappointments. 


ON  WOMAN. 


49 


which  most  severely  sting-  the  heart,  and  for  which 
there  is  no  earthly  antidote;  the  silent  anguish  of 
mortified  vanity,  of  cruel  neglect,  of  disappointed 
love ;  the  bitter  sorrows  of  her  soul,  while  realizing 
in  her  own  painful  experience  the  utter  emptiness 
and  deceitfulness  of  the  world,  and  not  being  able 
like  men,  to  go  out  and  plunge  into  the  scenes  of 
care  and  ambition  to  divert  her  mind  and  forget  her 
afflictions ;  her  peculiar  helplessness  and  depen¬ 
dence  in  her  afflictions ; — are  all  calculated  to  dis¬ 
engage  her  affections  and  hopes  from  earthly  things, 
to  lead  her  chastened  and  subdued  spirit  to  Jesus, 
to  open  her  mind  to  the  sweet  invitation  of  his  grace, 
as  it  falls  gently  upon  her  ear,  “  Come  unto  me,  ye 
that  labor  and  are  heavy  laden,  and  I  will  give  you 
rest.”  True  she  often  has  her  gay  morning,  but 
how  soon  is  it  frequently  overcast ;  bow  soon  does 
the  beauty  fade,  the  enchantment  end,  the  dream  of 
vanity  and  of  gaiety  vanish  away  !  The  caprice  of 
human  flattery  and  the  treachery  of  human  friend¬ 
ships,  are  calculated  to  make  her  realize  the  worth 
of  that  honor  which  cannot  perish,  and  the  value  of 
that  Friend  who  never  forsakes.  She  turns  away 
from  earth,  gives  her  mortal  interest  up,  reclines  her 
head  upon  the  bosom  of  Jesus,  and  is  happy. 

6,  Women  are  more  accustomed  to  subjection; 
men  to  rule.  If  a  confiding  and  submissive  dis¬ 
position  is  characteristic  of  woman,  a  dictatorial 
and  unyielding  disposition  is  characteristic  of  man. 
The  spirit  of  the  Christian  religion  is  a  spirit  of  sub- 
5  D 


1 


50  INFLUENCE  OF  CHRISTIANITY 

jection  to  a  superior  and  righteous  authority.  So 
characteristic  is  this  of  true  piety,  that  the  first  decla¬ 
rations  of  our  Savior  pronounced  blessings  upon  the 
poor  in  spirit,  the  meek,  the  lowly,  the  submissive,  the 
unaspiring ;  and  so  important  was  the  inculcation 
of  this  -sentiment  by  example  as  well  as  precept,  that 
he  declared  that  he  did  not  himself  come  to  be 
ministered  unto,  but  to  minister — not  to  be  served, 
but  to  be  himself  servant  to  all. 

Immediately  subsequent  to  the  fall  it  was  declared  v 
to  the  woman,  “  Thy  desire  shall  be  to  thy  husband, 
and  he  shall  rule  over  thee”  In  every  succeeding 
age  and  nation,  this  declaration  has  been  verified. 
And  the  new  dispensation,  not  repealing  this  ordi¬ 
nance,  requires  it  as  a  Christian  duty  of  women  to 
be  obedient  unto  their  husbands.  In  the  ordinary 
and  more  appropriate  state  of  things,  it  is  man’s  to 
assume  authority  and  hold  dominion,  in  every  condi¬ 
tion,  from  the  family  up  to  the  throne  of  nations. 

It  is  his,  more  appropriately,  to  sway  the  sceptre 
over  empires  ;  to  head  and  control  armies ;  to  pre¬ 
side  in  courts  ;  to  enact  laws ;  to  direct  the  civil  and 
social  affairs  of  his  town  or  neighborhood ;  to  gov¬ 
ern  his  own  household.  Now  the  pride  of  domin¬ 
ion,  the  liberty  and  the  disposition  to  govern  rather 
than  to  be  governed  in  the  secular  affairs  of  the 
world,  is  too  often  made  an  occasion  among  men 
of  inducing  them  to  resist  the  yoke  of  the  divine 
government,  to  say  of  Jehovah  and  his  Anointed, 

“  Let  us  break  their  bands  asunder  and  cast  away 


ON  WOMAN. 


51 


their  cords  from  us.”  It  is  represented  in  the 
Scriptures  as  one  of  the  greatest  obstacles  to  the 
conversion  of  men  to  God,  that  such  is  their  pride 
of  dominion,  that  they  are  unwilling  to  be  subject 
even  to  the  government  of  Jehovah.  Hence  the 
prophet,  speaking  of  the  time  when  this  obstacle 
shall  give  way  before  the  power  of  the  truth  and 
Spirit  of  God,  declares,  “  The  lofty  looks  of  man 
shall  be  humbled,  and  the  haughtiness  of  man  shall 
be  brought  low,  and  the  Lord  alone  shall  be  exalted 
in  that  day.” 

When  the  gospel  is  preached  to  women,  and  they 
are  called  upon  to  submit  themselves  to  the  divine 
government,  they  are  only  summoned  to  do  that 
which  is  analogous  to  what  they  have  been  doing 
all  their  lives  long.  In  infancy  and  childhood,  they 
are  subject  to  their  parents  ;  in  maturer  years,  they 
are  subject  to  their  husbands ;  in  almost  all  nations 
and  all  conditions,  the  possibility  or  the  acknowledged 
propriety  of  dominion  is  not  hers  ;  insomuch  that  to 
usurp  authority  and  exercise  dominion  over  men  and 
over  society  is  almost  universally  acknowledged  to 
be,  in  a  woman,  entirely  out  of  place.  How  much 
more  natural  and  easy  then,  humanly  speaking,  for 
those  thus  trained  and  accustomed  to  subjection  from 
infancy  through  all  their  lives,  to  become  subject  to 
Christ,  than  for  those  who  could  scarcely  brook  even 
parental  authority  in  childhood,  and  whose  subse¬ 
quent  life  is  a  constant  aspiration  after  an  exercise 
of  supremacy  and  dominion. 


52 


INFLUENCE  OF  CHRISTIANITY 


These,  I  apprehend,  are  the  most  important  natu* 
ral  causes  operating  to  secure  more  examples  of 
Christian  piety  among  women  than  among  men. 
They  are  of  such  a  nature  as  to  imply  no  mental 
imbecility  on  the  part  of  women,  and  no  intellectual 
flaws  or  accommodating  weakness  in  Christianity, 
as  infidelity  has  sneeringly  averred; — they  are  such 
as  any  sound  mind,  understanding  the  nature  of 
cause  and  effect,  would  expect  to  result  in  larger  ac¬ 
cessions  to  religion  from  the  female  than  from  the 
male  sex,  allowing  them  to  possess  the  same  mental 
constitution  and  supposing  Christianity  to  be  a  sys¬ 
tem  of  truth.  Thus  the  calamities  of  the  apostasy, 
which  seem  in  some  respects  to  have  fallen  more 
severely  on  women  than  on  men,  seem  to  result  in 
securing  a  larger  number  of  them  to  that  grace 
which  bringeth  salvation. 

I  shall  conclude  this  chapter  with  two  or  three 
inferential  remarks. 

If  Providence  has  thus  rendered  it  more  easy  for 
women  to  embrace  religion  than  for  men,  then  they 
are  more  guilty  if  they  do  not.  The  vigorous 
intellectual  nerve  acquired  by  men  in  the  sharp  en¬ 
counter  of  life  being  favorable  to  the  active  rather 
than  the  passive  virtues,  gives  some  peculiar  ad¬ 
vantages  for  religion  to  men,  but  the  advantages 
decidedly  predominate  upon  the  other  side  ;  and  al¬ 
though  Providence  has  done  enough  for  every  indi¬ 
vidual,  whether  man  or  woman,  to  render  impiety 
inexcusable,  yet  it  is  manifest  that  eminent  advan 


ON  WOMAN. 


53 


tages  must  bring  eminent  guilt,  if  they  are  not  im* 
proved. 

Has  Providence  thrown  a  barrier  very  high  and 
strong  around  female  virtue,  thus  protecting  her  in 
an  eminent  degree  from  those  vices  which  repel  re¬ 
ligion  ?  Has  he  in  a  great  measure  delivered  her 
from  exposure  to  the  absorbing  passion  of  gain,  the 
god  of  this  world,  which  blinds  the  minds  of  many 
that  believe  not  ?  Has  he  saved  her  from  the  perils 
attending  the  race  of  public  ambition,  office,  power, 
and  dominion  ?  Has  he  given  to  her  a  tender  frame, 
endowed  her  with  keen  and  lively  sensibility,  and 
laid  those  sufferings  and  trials  upon  her  which  are 
eminently  adapted  to  make  her  feel  the  need  of 
Christ  ?  Has  he  placed  her  in  those  circumstances 
of  subjection,  from  her  youth  up,  which  render  sub¬ 
jection  to  his  authority  comparatively  natural  and 
easy  ?  To  persist  in  impiety  against  all  these,  to 
overleap  all  these  barriers  against  perdition  and  still 
go  the  downward  way  to  ruin,  must  involve  peculiar 
guilt  and  aggravated  condemnation. 

It  is  further  to  be  remarked,  that  as  Christianity 
has  done  so  much  for  woman  *  she  ought  in  return 
to  do  much  for  Christianity.  Every  thing  that  can 
render  her  life  desirable  she  owes  to  Christ.  Think 
for  one  moment,  reader,  of  the  hole  of  the  pit  from 
which  Christ  has  taken  you.  Think  of  what  would 
be  your  present  condition,  had  it  not  been  for  the 
Christian  religion.  You  might  have  been  with  the 
debased  and  wretched  victims  of  pagan  oppression, 
5* 


54  INFLUENCE  OF  CHRISTIANITY 

cruelty,  and  lust ;  burning  alive  upon  the  funeral 
pile,  or  sacrificed  by  hands  of  violence  and  pollution, 
or  cast  out  and  neglected  to  pine  in  solitary'and  hope¬ 
less  grief.  Or,  with  the  female  followers  of  the  false 
prophet,  or  in  more  refined  but  unchristian  nations, 
you  might  have  been  little  else  than  the  slave  or  the 
convenience  of  man,  and  left  to  doubt  whether  any 
inheritance  awaits  you  beyond  the  grave.  From 
these  depths  of  debasement  and  wretchedness  Chris¬ 
tianity  has  taken  you  and  placed  you  on  high,  to  move, 
and  shine,  and  rejoice,  in  the  sphere  for  which  the 
Creator  designed  you.  Not  only  has  it  made  your 
condition  as  good  as  that  of  man,  but  in  a  moral 
view  in  some  respects  superior  to  it.  How  much 
then  do  you  owe  to  Christ!  To  turn  away  from 
him  with  indifference  or  neglect,  what  ingratitude 
is  this  !  How  preposterous,  how  base,  how  unlovely, 
is  female  impiety.  There  was  much  sense  in  a  re¬ 
mark  made  by  an  intelligent  gentleman,  who,  al¬ 
though  not  pious  himself,  said,  “  I  cannot  look  with 
any  complacency  upon  a  woman  who  does  not 
manifest  gratitude  and  love  to  Jesus  Christ.  Above 
all  things,  I  hate  to  see  so  unnatural  an  object  as  an 
irreligious  woman.” 

Such  being  the  constitution  and  circumstances  of 
woman,  it  is  the  manifest  intention  of  God  that  she 
should  be  pre-eminent  in  moral  excellence,  and, 
through  the  influence  of  this,  take  a  glorious  lea 
in  the  renovation  of  the  world.  This  she  has 
some  extent  ever  done.  Let  all  females  of  Christian 


l 


ON  WOMAN. 


55 


lands  consider  well  their  high  calling,  their  solemn 
responsibility,  and  their  glorious  privilege.  While 
many  of  their  sex  have  proved  recreant  to  their 
trust,  and  wasted  life  in  vanity  and  in  vice,  others, 
an  illustrious  constellation,  the  holy  and  the  good 
of  ancient  time,  the  mothers  and  the  sisters  in  Israel, 
“  the  ffiief  women  not  a  few”  of  apostolic  times,  the 
bright  throng  that  have  since  continued  to  come  out 
from  the  world  and  tread  in  the  steps  of  Jesus,  and 
lead  on  their  fellow-beings  to  the  kingdom  of  purity 
and  joy,  have  proved  to  us  that  as  woman  was  first 
to  fall  so  she  is  first  to  rise. 

Yes,  though  it  is  not  hers  to  amass  wealth;  to 
aspire  to  secular  office  and  power ;  to  shine  in 
camps  and  armies;  to  hurl  the  thunders  of  our  na¬ 
vies,  and  gather  laurels  from  the  ocean ;  or  to  re¬ 
ceive  the  vain  incense  offered  to  public  and  popular 
eloquence  ; — yet  hers  it  is,  to  be  robed  with  the 
beauty  of  Christ ;  to  shine  in  the  honors  of  good¬ 
ness  ;  to  shed  over  the  world  the  sweet  and  holy 
influences  of  peace,  virtue  and  religion;  to  be  adorned 
with  those  essential  and  imperishable  beauties,  those 
unearthly  stars  and  diadems,  whose  lustre  will  sur¬ 
vive,  with  ever  increasing  brightness,  when  all 
earthly  glory  will  fade  and  be  forgottenf  Come 
then,  reader;  come  to  your  high  duty,  your  glori¬ 
ous  privilege  ;  come  and  be  blessed  forever  ! 


THE  CHRISTIAN  EDUCATION  OF 

WOMAN. 


‘  That  our  daughters  may  be  as  corner-stones,  polished  after 
the  similitude  of  a  palace.” 

The  elevated  and  shining  character  of  the  female 
sex  as  here  contemplated  is  recognised  among  the 
blessings  of  a  prosperous  state  of  religion.  It  is  at 
once  a  means  and  a  result  of  the  most  perfect  and 
happy  condition  of  society.  Utility  and  ornament 
in  the  female  character  are  here  united.  Our  daugh¬ 
ters  are  to  be,  not  as  in  pagan  and  savage  nations, 
the  abject  subjects  of  menial  toil,  drudgery,  and  sen¬ 
suality  ;  nor  yet,  as  in  luxurious  and  corrupt  civilized 
communities,  creatures  of  idleness,  vanity,  and  plea¬ 
sure  ;  they  are  to  sustain  at  once  the  relation  of 
substantial  utility  and  of  the  most  beautiful  orna¬ 
ment.  They  are  to  be  corner-stones ,  and  corner¬ 
stones  polished ,  and  polished  after  the  similitude  of 
a  palace.  The  figure  is  highly  expressive.  Con¬ 
sidering  the  kingdom  of  God,  as  manifested  in  a 
truly  religious  and  elevated  state  of  society,  under 
the  similitude  of  a  palace,  and  Christ  as  the  chief 
corner-stone,  the  daughters  are  to  hold  their  place 


J.  Sartain 


Murillo 


CHRISTIAN  EDUCATION  OF  WOMAN. 


57 


among  the  lively  corner-stones  built  upon  him. 
They  have  a  place  with  those  on  whom  the  support 
and  strength  of  the  building  depend.  But  they  are 
also  to  be  polished,  or,  as  it  may  be  rendered,  hewed, 
wrought,  and  finished  with  great  care  and  beauty, 
as  becomes  the  corner-stones  of  a  palace. 

That  our  daughters  may  sustain  as  important  a 
part  as  our  sons  in  perfecting  human  society  and 
promoting  or  blessing  the  kingdom  of  God,  the  ex¬ 
amples  in  the  Scriptures  fully  prove.  That  they 
may  embalm  themselves  in  the  happy  recollections 
of  thousands  after  them,  send  the  sweet  odor  of  their 
name  and  the  excellence  of  their  influence  down 
through  all  succeeding  ages,  you  have  only  to  con¬ 
template  in  proof  the  example  of  Sarah,  who  through 
her  faith  and  piety  became  a  source  of  unspeakable 
blessings  to  unborn  nations  ;  of  Rebecca,  the  wife 
of  Isaac  ;  of  Rachel,  the  daughter  of  Laban,  wife  of 
Jacob  and  mother  of  Joseph;  of  Hannah,  the  mo¬ 
ther  and  spiritual  guardian  of  Samuel ;  of  Esther, 
the  royal  princess  and  the  savior  of  her  nation ;  of 
Ruth,  whose  steadfast  piety  secured,  through  her 
descendant  David,  the  richest  blessings  to  the  world; 
of  Elizabeth,  “righteous  before  God,  walking  in  all 
the  commandments  and  ordinances  of  the  Lord 
blameless,”  the  honored  mother  and  guardian  angel 
of  the  great  forerunner ;  of  Mary,  the  “  highly  fa¬ 
vored  among  women,”  whose  soul  did  “  magnify  the 
Lord,”  and  whose  spirit  did  rejoice  in  God  her 
Savior;  of  Lois  and  of  Eunice,  whose  “  unfeigned 


58 


CHRISTIAN  EDUCATION  OF  WOMAN. 


faith”  and  holy  instructions  stand  upon  the  sacred 
record  as  manifested  in  the  character  of  one  of  the 
brightest  apostles  of  Christianity;  and  of  others,  a 
long  and  brilliant  roll,  on  sacred  and  profane  record, 
whose  wisdom,  piety,  fidelity,  and  eminent  ser¬ 
vice,  have  placed  their  names  high  among  the  stars 
that  never  fade. 

The  ascent  of  a  nation  from  the  savage  to  the 
civilized  state  is  in  a  great  measure  effected  through 
the  Christian  influence  of  woman ;  it  is  through 
her  influence  perverted,,  in  a  great  measure,  that  a 
descent  is  thence  made  into  the  srilf  that  yawns 
upon  the  opposite  side.  From  the  high  state  of 
civilization  and  refinement,  a  descent  to  ruin  is 
usually  commenced  with  the  false  education,  the  in¬ 
dolence,  the  luxurious  habits,  of  the  female  sex 
Now  the  object  is,  to  arrest  the  female  character,  as 
it  exists  in  the  present  state  of  society ;  to  preserve 
what  is  right  in  it,  and  save  it  from  depreciating ; 
to  do  this  by  pointing  out  a  way  in  which  woman 
may  continue  to  ascend  higher  and  higher  in  excel¬ 
lence  and  usefulness,  and  by  affording  her  sufficient 
motives  to  do  it.  Let  us  here  leave  those  examples 
of  female  character  which  peculiar  circumstances 
have  rendered  conspicuous,  and  proceed  to  notice 
the  qualifications  by  which  all  our  daughters  may  be¬ 
come  what  the  sacred  writer  discribes.  Nature 
and  circumstances  will  of  course  modify  the  general 
rules  and  instructions.  All  are  not  to  be  trained  in 
the  same  particular  manner,  nor  tr  occupy  the  same 


CHRISTIAN  EDUCATION  OF  WOMAN. 


59 


position  in  society.  Yet  all  may  be  truly  good, 
useful,  honorable,  blessed  of  God,  in  their  respective 
spheres  and  callings  ;  all  may  be,  in  some  important 
sense,  as  corner-stones  polished  after  the  similitude 
of  a  palace.  To  this  end, 

1.  Early  and  continual  attention  must  be  paid  to 
their  health.  Their  energy  of  character,  their  effi¬ 
ciency  their  intellectual  activity,  their  disposition,  the 
type  of  their  piety,  the  health  and  peace  and  happi¬ 
ness  of  their  families,  all  depend  very  much  upon 
this.  It  is  not  among  the  least  evils  of  luxurious 
and  refined  society,  that  such  habits  are  indulged  as 
tend  to  deteriorate  the  healtlYof  females.  Instead 
of  being  the  active,  vigorous,  efficient  daughters 
and  matrons  of  simpler  times,  of  high-toned  health, 
bounding  spirits,  long  and  useful  life,  and  almost 
fadeless  beauty,  they  degenerate  to  a  feeble,  inactive, 
sickly,  short-lived  race.  The  consequences  to  the 
domestic  state,  to  their  children,  and  to  the  morals, 
piety  and  happiness  of  society,  are  disastrous  in  a 
high  degree.  I  cannot  here  enlarge  upon  them. 
It  is  enough  to  say,  that  all  those  habits  which 
are  prejudicial  to  health  must  be  from  infancy 
resolutely  shunned  by  those,  who  would  aspire  to  the 
honor  which  our  subject  contemplates. 

Whatever  of  irregularity  in  the  disposition  of 
time,  late  retiring  and  late  rising ;  whatever  of  evil 
to  the  body  in  the  modes  and  refinements  of  dress ; 
whatever  of  enervating  and  wasting  indolence ; 
whatever  of  frequent  and  exciting  entertainments, 


60 


CHRISTIAN  EDUCATION  Or  WOMAN. 


which  exhaust  the  nervous  system  and  are  followed 
by  ennui  and  mental  vacuity  ;  whatever  indulgences 
of  the  table,  which  feed  a  morbid  and  destructive 
appetite  ;  in  a  word,  whatever  tends  not  to  the  high¬ 
est  and  most  prolonged  health  and  vigor  of  both 
body  and  soul,  must  be  resolutely  and  forever  shun¬ 
ned  by  her  who  would  become  the  highest  ornament 
and  the  true  glory  of  her  sex. 

Much  is  said  of  the  evils  to  health  resulting 
from  modern  modes  of  dress — perhaps  too  much  ; 
although  the  testimony  of  such  scientific  and  valua¬ 
ble  authority  as  the  medical  profession,  is  certainly 
deserving  of  very  serious  attention.  Some  have 
probably  carried  their  opinions  on  this  subject  be¬ 
yond  due  bounds  ;  such  is  the  known  and  pardona¬ 
ble  tendency  of  minds  strongly  enlisted  on  a  particu¬ 
lar  subject.  But  let  no  one  despise  or  neglect  the 
testimony  of  sober  facts ;  and  there  are  enough  of 
them  to  prove,  that  there  is  more  of  truth  than  fancy 
in  the  doctrines  upon  this  subject  now  currently 
maintained  by  physicians.  The  proprieties  of  taste 
and  refinement  need  not  be,  and  certainly  should 
not  be,  sacrificed  in  the  matter  of  dress,  any  more 
than  in  any  thing  else  ;  and,  without  descending  to 
further,  particulars,  which  would  better  become  a 
secular  lecture  than  this  place  and  occasion,  it  may 
suffice  to  say,  that  such  a  style  of  dress  as  preserves 
the  symmetry  and  integrity  of  the  human  system, 
and  protects  it  thoroughly  from  our  rugged  climate 
and  ever  changing  weather,  is  essential  to  the  sound- 


CHRISTIAN  EDUCATION  OK  WOMAN. 


61 


est  health ;  and  that  whoever  barters  this  to  please 
vanity  or  custom,  makes  a  dear  and  most  unchristian 
bargain. 

There  are  more  evils  to  health  however,  in  my 
opinion,  resulting  from  the  exposures  and  intem¬ 
perate  excitements  of  frequent  and  late  assemblies 
of  gaiety  and  pleasure ;  from  indulgence  in  eating 
and  drinking ;  particularly  from  the  use  of  confec¬ 
tionary,  of  highly  seasoned  dishes  and  of  stimulating 
drinks,  and  the  habitual  use  of  coffee  and  strong 
tea.  All  of  these  things  tend  strongly  to  irritate  the 
nervous  system  and  to  impair  the  constitution. 

But  most  of  all,  a  want  of  vigorous,  habitual, 
appropriate  exercise ,  is  impairing  the  energy  and 
undermining  the  health  of  multitudes ;  it  is  sending 
to  an  early  grave  its  annual  hecatombs  of  female 
victims.  The  law  of  exercise  has  never  been  re¬ 
pealed;  it  is  still  equally  binding  on  both  sexes. 
The  human  system  must  have  exercise,  or  it  must 
languish.  But  modern  abbreviations  of  female  labor, 
in  the  inventions  and  so  called  improvements  of  the 
mechanic  arts,  together  with  the  notions  of  delicacy 
and  refinement  which  obtain  in  cultivated  society, 
have  exonerated  a  large  portion  of  females  from  the 
necessity  of  manual  labor.  But  if  they  are  not  under 
necessity  to  exercise  to  secure  the  objects  of  labor, 
let  them  still  consider  that  they  are  under  the  same 
necessity  as  ever  to  exercise  to  secure  the  object  of 
health. 

In  all  suitable  ways,  and  by  all  available  means, 

6 


1 


62  CHRISTIAN  EDUCATION  OF  WOMAN. 

let  them,  as  one  of  their  first  and  most  important 
objects,  secure  and  preserve  sound  and  vigorous 
health. 

2.  The  next  qualification  is  a  habit  of  industry. 
This  is  essential  to  every  productive  virtue  ;  it  should 
be  early  formed  and  vigorously  maintained.  The 
temptations  with  young  women  in  the  present  state 
of  society  to  neglect  it  are  numerous,  and  too  often 
fatal.  How  many  of  our  daughters,  because  their 
parents  are  able  to  support  them,  or  because  the 
mothers  or  servants  assume  the  burden  of  domestic 
care,  or  because  they  are  looking  for  some  connec¬ 
tion  which  will  exempt  them  from  the  necessity  of 
personal  effort,  form  habits  of  fixed  and  hopeless 
indolence  ! 

This  evil  is  by  no  means  confined  to  any  one  class. 
It  is  the  pride  of  the  rich,  it  is  the  ambition  of  the 
poor,  to  appear  above  the  necessity  of  effort.  But  it 
is  a  false  and  pernicious  sentiment.  We  were  made 
for  action;  we  are  never  in  tiue  honor  but  when 
actively  engaged  to  the  extent  of  our  ability  in 
accomplishing  some  good ;  and  this  is  as  true  of 
woman  as  of  man.  Because  it  devolves  on  the 
man  mainly  to  provide  support  for  his  family, 
does  it  therefore  follow  that  wives  and  daughters 
have  nothing  or  little  to  do?  By  no  means.  There 
still  remains  a  most  important  service  for  them,  and 
they  are  still  as  sacredly  bound  to  make  the  most 
they  possibly  can  of  all  their  time  and  strength,  in 
some  useful  employment,  as  if  they  were  compelled 

.  ■  i 


CHRISTIAN  EDUCATION  OF  WOMAN. 


63 


to  do  it  for  their  daily  bread.  To  be  diligently  and 
usefully  employed  to  the  extent  of  her  ability  is  one 
of  the  first  lessons  to  be  inculcated  upon  the  little 
miss,  and  to  be  continually  impressed  upon  her 
through  all  the  subsequent  periods  of  her  childhood, 
youth,  and  womanhood.  Considering  the  great 
proneness  to  indolence  in  all  human  beings,  and  the 
fact  that  fashion  and  respectability  so  much  sanction 
it  in  certain  classes  of  females,  it  may  be  regarded 
as  one  of  the  most  besetting  and  dangerous  vices  of 
our  young  women  at  the  present  time.  There  is 
with  multitudes  of  them  an  enormous  waste  of 
energy,  physical,  intellectual,  and  moral;  the  sin  of 
burying  the  talent  is  with  them  a  crying  sin. 

But  the  blame  is  not  wholly  theirs.  The  vices 
entertained  by  many  of  the  other  sex,  and  false  no¬ 
tions  of  refinement  encouraged  by  society  at  large, 
have  contributed  to  make  our  daughters  suppose 
that  it  is  essential  to  the  character  and  standing  of 
a  lady  to  be  as  indolent  and  useless  as  possible. 
The  least  that  she  can  know  experimentally  of  the 
manner  in  which  even  her  own  daily  food  is  pre¬ 
pared,  or  her  own  clothes  made ;  or  of  the  more 
severe  and  useful  labors  of  the  mind ,  whether  in 
acquiring  or  imparting  knowledge  ;  or  of  the  wants 
and  reliefs  of  the  poor  and  needy  ; — and  the  more 
she  spends  her  mornings  in  bed,  her  evenings  at 
novels  or  amusements,  her  mid-day  hours  in  saunter¬ 
ing  and  lounging  about,  or  exposing  her  person  in 
the  streets,—  the  more  of  an  accomplished  lady  is 


I 


64  CHRISTIAN  EDUCATION  OF  WOMAN. 

she  !  What  notion  can  be  more  false  and  pernicious  ? 
Yet  I  need  not  tell  you  it  is  popular,  common,  ex¬ 
tending  to  all  classes  and  conditions  of  society. 
Many  of  all  classes  are  aiming  to  bring  up  their 
daughters  in  this  way.  So  countenanced  is  it,  that 
the  daughters  of  the  poorest  as  well  as  of  the  richest 
often  blush  to  have  it  said  or  supposed,  that  they  have 
been  engaged  in  some  useful  employment.  I  repeat 
it,  the  fault  is  not  so  much  in  the  young  women  as 
in  those  who  have  the  charge  of  bringing  them  up, 
and  in  public  sentiment.  F or  a  young  man  to  be  use¬ 
fully  engaged,  is  necessary  to  his  good  standing  in 
society ;  but  for  a  young  woman  to  be  thus  engaged, 
is  not  only  not  necessary ,  but  rather  prejudicial  to 
her  character  as  a  refined  and  accomplished  lady ! 

This  public  sentiment  falling  in  with  the  natural 
disposition  to  idleness,  is  it  strange  that  the  result  is 
a  wide-spread  and  most  melancholy  paralysis  of 
female  energy  ?  I  speak  within  due  and  considerate 
limits  when  I  assert,  that  in  a  large  class  of  females 
not  one-tenth  part  of  useful  results  are  accomplished 
by  their  existence,  which  'might  be  accomplished. 
Their  lives,  compared  with  what  they  might  be,  are 
almost  a  barren  waste,  a  dead  blank  on  tne  scale  of 
being.  Instead  of  being  any  thing  that  resembles 
corner-stones  polished  after  the  similitude  of  a  pa¬ 
lace,  their  history  is  rather  that  of  hothouse  plants. 
They  spring  into  being,  vegetate,  and  are  gazed  at, 
perhaps  admired,  for  a  little  season  ;  they  then  fade 
and  vanish  away  forever ! 


CHRISTIAN  EDUCATION  OF  WOMAN. 


65 


The  evils  of  this  indolence  in  females  extend  to 
every  thing  with  which  they  have  to  do.  A  grass¬ 
hopper  becomes  to  them  a  burden.  To  accomplish 
even  a  little  thing  costs  them  a  prodigious  and  most 
exhausting  effort.  They  cannot  endure  to  study; — 
hence  they  must  have  teachers  that  will  save  them 
fiom  the  necessity  of  it,  and  yet  by  superficial  means 
flatter  them  and  their  parents  with  a  fine  show  of 
learning.  They  cannot  endure  to  think; — hence 
they  must  have  books  of  the  most  light  and  popular 
character,  addressed  principally  to  their  imagina¬ 
tions  and  feelings.  They  cannot  endure  any  do¬ 
mestic  labor ; — hence  they  must  remain  in  ignorance 
of  the  things  to  be  done  in  their  own  households, 
and  thus  subject  themselves  and  their  families  to 
those  numerous  troubles  from  servants,  which  result 
from  the  ignorance  and  inefficiency  of  the  mis¬ 
tress  ;  to  say  nothing  of  the  sacrifice  of  property  in 
domestic  wastes,  for  the  want  of  some  one  to  look 
well  to  the  ways  of  her  household.  They  cannot 
endure  to  walk  ; — hence  they  must  be  provided  with 
a  coach,  not  only  when  it  is  really  necessary,  but 
when  they  might  as  well  walk,  and  when  walking 
would  comport  much  better  with  their  means.  They 
have  not  sufficient  energy  to  sympathize  with  the 
cares,  the  duties,  and  trials  of  their, husbands ; — hence 
their  husbands  must  bear  their  burdens  alone,  un 
cared  for  and  unaided  ;  and  sometimes  even  experi¬ 
ence  the  influence  of  their  wives  as  a  dead  weight 
6*  E 


) 


66  CHRISTIAN  EDUCATION  OF  WOMAN. 

upon  them,  to  bring  down  their  tottering  resolution 
to  the  dust.  They  cannot  endure  to  look  after  the 
education  of  their  children  ; — hence  their  little  ones 
must  be  committed  entirely  to  others  to  toil  for  them 
alone,  (thankless  task  !)  or  their  young  minds  must 
be  permitted  to  shoot  up  at  random.  They  have 
not  sufficient  knowledge  to  select  the  best  teachers ; — 
hence  their  children  must  take  their  chance.  They 
have  not  sufficient  resolution  to  govern  their  chil¬ 
dren  ; — hence  they  must,  so  far  as  the  mother  is 
concerned,  go  ungoverned,  and  perhaps,  as  a  conse¬ 
quence,  be  ruined.  And,  finally,  they  sometimes  be¬ 
come  so  irresolute  that  they  cannot,  without  a  ghostly 
effort,  even  return  their  neighbor’s  friendly  call ;  and 
the  consequence  perhaps  is  green-eyed  jealousy  and 
-  a  breach  of  friendship.  All  is  full  of  evil,  trouble, 
disaster,  resulting'  from  their  indolence  and  ineffi¬ 
ciency.  Their  suns  rise  and  set ;  weeks,  months, 
and  years  run  on ;  they  bring  almost  nothing  to 
pass,  and  yet  they  complain  of  having  so  much  to 
do  !  They  are  laboriously  employed  in  doing  no¬ 
thing.  Their  health  becomes  feeble ;  their  spirits 
droop  ;  they  become  nervous,  peevish,  unhappy  ; — 
instead  of  shedding  light  and  joy  over  the  domestic 
circle,  they  render  it  unhappy.  Y es,  the  beautiful  and 
*  admired  daughter,  or  the  engaging  wife  and  mother, 
as  she  appears  in  the  excitements  of  the  drawing¬ 
room  or  the  assembly,  too  often  retires  to  the  do¬ 
mestic  circle,  where  most  of  all  she  should  make  her 
excellence  to  be  seen  and  felt,  there  to  exhibit  the 


{ 


✓ 


CHRISTIAN  EDUCATION  OF  WOMAN.  67 

bitter  fruits  of  selfish  indolence  in  the  everlasting 
sighs  and  complaints  of  peevish  discontent ! 

As  then  you  would  secure  the  well-being  of  your 
daughters,  and  of  all  with  whom  they  may  have  to 
do,  be  sure  to  train  them  to  industry.  Never  al¬ 
low  them  to  think  that  their  hands  are  too  good  to 
perform  any  useful  work,  or  that  any  task  is  too  la¬ 
borious  for  their  perseverance  to  accomplish,  or  any 
study  or  art  too  hard  for  their  minds  and  their  in¬ 
dustry  to  master.  Let  them  early  learn  and  ever 
remember  the  motto,  “  Labor  pertinax  omnia  vincit 
and  let  the  great  motives  and  encouragements  to  in¬ 
dustry  be  kept  constantly  before  them.  With  care¬ 
fulness  never  to  overtax  their  powers,  let  the  hours 
of  every  day  be  sacredly  appropriated;  let  not  a 
single  hour  be  lost.  Let  them  rise  early  and  enter 
directly  upon  the  assigned  duties  of  the  day,  and 
pass  with  the  most  exact  economy  of  time  through 
the  successive  hours  for  domestic  duties,  study,  giv¬ 
ing  or  receiving  necessary  calls,  exercise,  miscella¬ 
neous  reading,  devotions,  <fcc.  Let  them  learn  to 
do  all  with  the  utmost  fidelity,  diligence,  and  des¬ 
patch  ;  and  always,  before  retiring,  let  them  call 
themselves  to  strict  account  for  the  manner  in  which 
they  have  spent  the  day. 

For  all  this  industry  they  will  find  sufficient  oc¬ 
casion,  in  securing  a  thorough  knowledge  of  the 
various  domestic  duties,  and  in  discharging  those 
duties  ;  in  disciplining  their  minds  and  storing  them 
with  knowledge  ;  in  cultivating  their  moral  powers 


I 


68  CHRISTIAN  EDUCATION  OF  WOMAN. 

and  affections ;  in  training  and  educating  their  chib 
dren  ;  in  administering  relief  to  the  needy  and  sym¬ 
pathy  to  the  afflicted ;  in  promoting  religion  by  their 
assistance  in  Sabbath  schools,  by  their  intelligent 
Christian  conversation,  by  their  prayers  and  their 
cheering  sympathy ;  in  a  word,  in  securing  and 
sustaining  the  elevated  character  and  influence  re¬ 
quisite  to  their  successful  promotion  of  the  noblest 
and  most  valuable  interests  of  our  existence.  With¬ 
out  this,  therefore,  they  fail  to  rise  to  the  proper 
dignity  and  glory  of  their  sex. 

Mothers  !  in  the  name  of  religion  and  humanity, 
I  charge  you,  teach  your  daughters  industry.  No 
matter  how  much  of  wealth  and  beauty  and  refined 
accomplishments  they  have  ;  without  this  virtue, 
they  are  unfit  to  be  either  wives,  or  mothers,  or 
members  of  society, — without  this,  their  husbands, 
their  children,  the  society  of  which  they  are  to  bfe 
members,  will  suffer  a  greater  loss  in  respect  to 
them  than  can  be  atoned  foi — greater  than  my  pen 
shall  attempt  to  describe. 

3.  The  next  qualification  is  a  ivell-cultivated  in¬ 
tellect.  I  do  not  think  that  the  uses  of  female  edu- 
cation,  and  the  vast  motives  to  it,  have  ever  been 
sufficiently  considered.  When  the  sphere  of  wo¬ 
man’s  duties  and  the  important  uses  for  her  intel¬ 
lectual  culture  are  well  understood,  it  will  be  seen 
to  be  in  many  respects  more  important  that  she 
should  have  a  sound  and  thorough  education,  than 
that  the  other  sex  should.  If  man  is  more  engaged 


CHRISTIAN  EDUCATION  OF  WOMAN. 


69 


in  transacting  business,  securing  the  necessities  ol 
life,  protecting  rights  and  justice,  woman  Jis  to  be 
more  engaged  in  the  higher  life  and  cultivation  of 
the  soul.  If  the  brothers  must  spend  most  of  their 
time  in  the  field  or  the  shop,  the  sisters  are  to  pre¬ 
serve  the  intellectual  atmosphere  of  the  house.  If 
the  husband  must  look  after  his  property  and  pro¬ 
vide  his  children  with  bread,  the  wife  must  look  af¬ 
ter  the  minds  of  her  children  and  provide  them  with 
knowledge.  If  the  husband  must  do  most  for  their 
physical,  the  wife  must  do  most  for  their  intellectual, 
natures — inspire  them  with  noble  sentiments,  with 
lofty  ambition,  and  implant  the  elements  of  great-  ~ 
ness  in  their  opening  minds.  She  must  be  a  foun¬ 
tain  of  knowledge  to  her  family ;  but  how  can  she 
do  this,  unless  her  own  mind  is  elevated  and  enlarged 
with  knowledge  ?  The  streams  cannot  rise  above 
their  fountain. 

She  is  moreover  to  be  a  permanent  companion  to 
her  husband ,  his  richest  and  most  intimate  source 
of  interest  and  joy  through  life  ; — how  important 
then  that  she  should  have  those  mental  resources 
by  which  she  may  retain  her  hold  upon  his  respect, 
confidence,  interest,  and  affection,  after  the  novelty 
and  romance  of  other  charms  have  passed  away, 
(as  they  very  soon  do)  and  nothing  but  the  severer 
and  more  abiding  excellencies  of  the  mind  remain 
to  interest. 

If  we  except  those  men  professionally  devoted  to 
teaching,  the  intellectual  character  of  a  corr  nunity 


70 


CHRISTIAN  EDUCATION  OF  WOMAN. 


depends  more  upon  its  women  than  its  men.  It  is 
the  tone  of  conversation  that  obtains  in  society  which 
elevates  or  depresses  the  intellectual  standard ;  and  of 
this  females  generally  take  the  lead.  They  mingle 
so  constantly  and  extensively  in  society,  their  pre¬ 
sence  and  conversation  are  so  much  desired,  they 
converse  so  easily,  and  what  they  say  is  listened  to 
with  such  chivalrous  deference,  that  whenever,  with¬ 
out  affectation  or  pedantry,  out  of  the  simplicity  and 
abundance  of  their  minds,  they  are  enabled  to  con¬ 
verse  and  do  converse  with  intelligence  upon  subjects 
of  an  elevated  and  valuable  character — when  their 
words  breathe  with  inspiring  w thought — when  they 
open  the  rich  fountains  of  the  mind — when  naturally 
and  unconsciously  they  discover  the  dignity  and 
beauty  of  sound  knowledge  and  wisdom,  tempered 
and  enriched  with  whatever  is  lovely  and  engaging 
in  the  female  disposition, — the  influence  which  they 
put  forth  to  elevate  the  prevailing  standard  of  mind 
is  almost  omnipotent. 

But  when  they  can  converse  and  do  converse 
upon  nothing  but  their  furniture,  their  dress,  the 
latest  fashion,  the  last  party  or  dance,  the  last  en¬ 
gagement,  the  last  marriage,  or,  at  the  most,  the  last 
novel,  they  tend  to  make  all  persons  about  them  as 
frivolous  as  themselves.  The  men  who  come  in 
from  the  cares  of  business  to  enjoy  their  society, 
having  themselves  had  but  little  time  for  intellectual 
improvement,  and  looking  to  the  more  favored  sex 
for  entertainment,  hearing  from  them  nothing  but 


CHRISTIAN  EDUCATION  OF  WOMAN. 


71 


this  airy  and  trifling  stuff,  naturally  let  themselves 
down  to  this  species  of  entertainment,  and  conclude 
to  make  the  best  of  it.  After  a  few  efforts  they 
contrive  to  fill  their  own  mouths  with  the  same  kind 
of  empty  talk,  and  are  always  sure  to  begin  to 
employ  it  the  moment  they  come  into  the  society 
of  ladies  insomuch  that  at  length  the  prevailing 
taste  is  so  depraved  and  reduced,  that  the  woman 
who  asserts  the  proper  dignity  of  her  sex,  and  ven¬ 
tures  to  converse  as  becomes  her,  encounters  no 
small  hazard  of  being  denounced  as  a  pedant. 

That  there  is  sometimes  actual  pedantry  among 
partially  educated  women,  as  well  as  men,  and  that 
it  is  always  offensive,  I  shall  not  deny  ;  but  that/ 
the  intellectual  tone  of  society  should  be  such  as 
to  render  so  much  vain  and  frivolous  conversation 
contemptible,  and  to  make  it  honorable  and  even 
needful  to  one  who  would  sustain  the  character 
of  a  lady,  to  sustain  that  style  of  conversation 
which  I  have  commended,  I  am  confident  to  affirm. 
Nay,  more  ;  I  am  very  sure  that  even  in  the  present 
state  of  society,  after  all  that  is  said  against  female 
pedantry,  the  woman  who  exhibits  in  her  conver¬ 
sation  the  fruits  of  a  well-cultivated  intellect,  com* 
mands  the  secret  admiration  of  every  intelligent 
man  who  knows  her,  and  exerts  an  influence  upon 
him  to  incite  him  to  mental  cultivation,  more  than 
he  would  realize  from  ten  men  of  the  same  acquire¬ 
ments.  So  much  farther  does  cultivated  intellect 
in  a  woman  go  than  in  a  man,  in  its  influence  to  ele- 

o  7 


1  \ 

72  CHRISTIAN  EDUCATION  OF  WOMAN. 

vate  the  mental  character  of  society.  It  is  owing 
to  the  respect,  the  admiration,  the  love,  the  chival¬ 
rous  deference,  in  which  refined  and  well-educated 
females  are  held  by  the  other  sex,  and  in  a  trily 
Christian  community  ever  will  be  held. 

To  make  my  meaning  plain,  can  you  suppose 
that  the  intellectual  acquirements  of  Miss  Martineau 
would  ever  have  exerted  the  influence  they  have, 
had  she  been  a  man.  Now  if  her  attainments,  by 
no  means  extraordinary,  not  equal  to  what  thousands 
of  men  in  both  continents  have  made,  and  attended 
with  so  much  pedantry  and  so  much  else  that  is  of¬ 
fensive  to  true  taste  and  propriety,  procured  for  her 
so  much  attention,  respect,  and  homage  from  men 
both  in  Europe  and  America,  what  might  be  expect¬ 
ed  from  that  cultivation  of  the  female  intellect  which 
I  am  advocating,  associated  with  the  character  which 
all  love  to  contemplate?  In  the  presence  o  a  re¬ 
fined  and  accomplished  lady,  whose  conversation, 
flowing  out  with  artless  simplicity,  develops  the 
treasures  of  a  rich,  thinking,  cultivated,  sparkling 
intellect,  we  feel  ourselves  to  be  almost  in  the  pre¬ 
sence  of  an  angel  of  light ;  and  nothing  can  surpass 
the  inspiration  which  we  thence  feel  to  aspire  after 
mental  excellence. 

This  may  be  said  to  be  owing  to  the  fewness  of 
examples  of  eminent  intellectual  cultivation  among 
women  ;  yet  if  this  be  in  part  allowed,  it  still  cannot 
be  doubted  that  if  there  were  among  them  as  many 
examples  of  as  high  intellectual  cultivation  as  there 


CHRISTIAN  EDUCATION  OF  WOMAN.  73 

' 

are  among  men,  the  influence  resulting  therefrom  to 
elevate  society  would  be  vastly  greater  than  that 
resulting  now  from  the  intellectual  cultivation  of  the 
other  sex. 

But  we  must  not  dwell  longer  upon  the  impor¬ 
tance  of  female  education.  A  word  or  two  we  must 
say  upon  the  kind  of  education  desired,  and  the  fea¬ 
sibility  and  manner  of  obtaining  it.  It  is  not  that 
popular,  hasty,  superficial  style  of  education,  so  un¬ 
happily  current,  which  at  all  meets  the  object  now 
contemplated.  This  is  frequently  almost  worse  than 
none,  inasmuch  as  it  feeds  vanity  without  enriching 
or  strengthening  the  mind.  It  is  that  education 
which,  commencing  with  the  youthful  intellect,  and 
conducting  it  thoroughly  on  through  the  successive 
stages  of  discipline  in  the  elementary  and  thence  to 
the  higher  studies,  teaches  it  to  fix  its  attention,  to 
think,  to  investigate,  to  reason,  to  generalize,  and  if 
possible  to  originate  ;  which  furnishes  the  mind  with 
first  principles  and  a  knowledge  of  the  class  of  facts 
comprehended  under  them  ;  which  renders  the  mind 
patient,  persevering,  strong,  and  far-reaching;  which 
stores  the  imagination  with  the  choicest  imagery  ; 
which  creates  such  a  mental  taste  for  what  is  truly 
rich  and  intellectual  as  to  render  insipid  the  light, 
frothy,  dissipating  productions  of  frivolous  minds,  so 
unhappily  prevalent  and  so  ruinous  to  the  mental 
character  of  this  age  ;  which  begets  a  strong  and 
healthful  relish  for  whatever  is  rich  in  thought,  sound 
in  argument,  chaste  in  imagery,  classical  in  style, 
7 


74 


CHRISTIAN  EDUCATION  OF  WOMAN. 


original  in  conception,  sparkling  in  wit,  powerful  in 
evidence,  lucid  in  truth,  and  important  in  principle  ; 
which  causes  one  to  come,  as  to  an  intellectual  ban¬ 
quet,  to  the  productions  of  the  greatest  and  noblest 
intellects  of  all  ages,  and  to  feel  a  delightful  sympathy 
in  them.  A  mind  thus  educated  need  not  resort  to 
the  dreamy,  feverish,  nervous  excitements  of  thea¬ 
tres,  novels,  and  idle  tales,  nor  yet  to  the  dissipating 
amusements  of  the  assembly  or  the  ball-room,  to 
gratify  her  vanity,  in  order  to  find  pleasure  ; — it 
would  be  like  turning  aside  from  pure,  gushing  foun¬ 
tains  from  the  rock,  to  a  puddle  of  filthy  water,  to 

assuage  thirst.  No  :  the  excellent  men  of  old  who 

$ 

spake  as  they  were  moved  by  the  Holy  Ghost,  the 
truly  great  and  noble  minds  of  every  age  that  still 
live  and  speak,  together  with  her  own  disciplined 
and  well-stored  mind,  are  to  her  an  everlasting 
source  of  the  most  elevated  and  abundant  of  all 
earthly  enjoyment;  while  she  is  herself  also  to  her 
family  and  to  the  society  in  which  she  moves,  in  her 
intellectual  influence  upon  them,  as  the  sun  when 
he  walketh  in  brightness. 

Nor  let  this  be  deemed  chimerical.  It  can  be 
done.  It  has  been  done  in  a  good  measure  in  some 
instances  ;  it  may  be  done  to  a  very  great  extent  in 
all.  The  treasures  of  the  female  intellect  have 
scarcely  begun  to  be  developed.  For  nearly  six 
thousand  years  a  deep  slumber  has  rested  upon  the 
minds  of  the  better  part  of  creation.  I  believe  that 
Providence  has  a  benevolent  design  in  abridging  the 


CHRISTIAN  EDUCATION  OF  WOMAN. 


75 


toil  of  female  hands,  and  that  too  beyond  what  can 
ever  be  expected  in  regard  to  the  more  appropriate 
labors  of  men.  The  labors  of  the  farm,  of  merchan¬ 
dise,  of  navigation,  of  the  professions,  and  of  many 
of  the  mechanic  arts,  cannot  be  much  reduced ; 
while  the  operations  of  the  cards,  the  wheels,  the 
looms,  the  needles,  &c.,  which  occupied  three  fourths 
of  the  time  of  our  mothers,  are  now  taken  entirely 
out  of  the  hands  of  most  of  our  daughters,  leaving 
them  no  more  manual  labor  to  perform  than  is  im¬ 
portant  to  their  health,  and  compatible  with  the  high¬ 
est  intellectual  cultivation.  With  due  attention  to 
health,  and  with  those  habits  of  diligence  of  which  I 
have  spoken,  our  daughters  may  faithfully  learn  and 
practise  all  the  duties  of  manual  labor  which  devolve 
upon  them,  and  yet  have  sufficient  time  to  secure 
the  most  thorough  and  finished  education.  Let  it 
be  early  understood  by  them  that  the  promises  of 
beauty  and  of  external  accomplishments,  the  attrac¬ 
tions  of  wealth,  and  a  favorable  marriage,  are  among 
the  things  above  which  their  thoughts  and  aims 
must  rise.  If  these  are  allowed  to  hold  some  sub¬ 
ordinate  place  of  consideration,  they  are  not  at  least 
the  things  on  which  a  mind  that  would  be  truly  emi¬ 
nent  and  excellent,  must  place  its  dependence.  The 
young  woman  who  places  her  dependence  upon 
these,  may  lay  her  account  with  an  inglorious  and 
probably  a  wretched  life. 

Let  her'  then  be  placed  in  due  season  under  a 
course  of  intellectual  discipline.  Let  eight  or  ten 


I 


76  CHRISTIAN  EDUCATION  OF  WOMAN. 

of  the  twenty-four  hours  be  appropriated  to  sleep  ; 
six  or  eight  to  meals,  devotions,  recreations,  and 
manual  labor;  and  the  remaining  eight  to  study. 
Let  the  mother  hold  a  vigilant  eye  upon  her,  to 
inspire  and  secure  the  faithful  performance  of  every 
duty  in  its  time  and  place,  a^d  let  her  always  co¬ 
operate  with  the  teacher  in  her  education.  Let  no 
possible  sacrifice  be  thought  dear,  to  secure  the  most 
competent  and  thorough  teachers  ;  let  her  be  gradu¬ 
ally  handed  along  up  through  the  successive  stages 
of  mental  discipline  and  of  knowledge,  never  ad 
vancing  to  the  next  till  the  preceding  is  perfectly 
mastered,  always  resolved  to  conquer  and  always 
aiming  at  the  solid  growth  of  mind ;  and  not  many 
years  will  pass  before  she  will  have  acquired  such 
taste  and  habits,  as  that  she  will  move  onward  and 
upward  by  her  own  impetus.  She  will  need  no 
urging : — she  will  only  need  guiding  and  restrain¬ 
ing.  By  the  time  she  has  reached  the  period  of 
womanhood,  she  will  have  accomplished  more  do¬ 
mestic  service  than  is  now  accomplished  by  nine 
tenths  of  our  daughters  in  the  same  time  ;  and  she 
will  have  acquired  an  education  equal  to  that  ob¬ 
tained  by  most  of  our  young  men  who  graduate,  and 
far  better  than  that  obtained  by  many  of  them.  Tha* 
she  will  have  better  preserved  her  health,  secured 
more  enjoyment,  and  laid  the  foundation  for  more 
in  years  to  come,  than  is  done  in  the  mean  time  by 
the  daughters  of  idleness,  dissipation,  and  gaiety,  it 
is  scarcely  needful  to  add.  That  she  will  have  been 


CHRISTIAN  EDUCATION  OF  WOMAN 


77 


a  sour:e  of  less  expense  to  her  father  is  also  more 
than  probable.  That  she  will  have  secured  a  most 
important  qualification  towards  becoming  a  rich  trea¬ 
sure  to  her  husband,  a  blessing  to  her  children,  an 
ornament  to  her  sex,  and  a  corner-stone  in  the  tem¬ 
ple  of  God,  polished  after  the  similitude  of  a  palace, 
who  is  prepared  to  doubt  ? 

Because  this  has  been  so  seldom  done,  let  none 
say  it  cannot  be  extensively  donei  And  because 
female  education  has  been  so  little  applied  to  useful 
ends,  let  none  conclude  that  it  is  therefore  of  neces¬ 
sity  useless.  I  am  sure  that  I  do  not  dream.  Hav¬ 
ing  been  for  several  years  engaged  to  some  extent 
in  teaching,  and  having  had  the  charge  of  the  edu¬ 
cation  of  females,  as  well  as  males,  in  every  stage 
of  progress  from  the  lowest  to  the  highest  branches, 
I  have  uniformly  found  that  their  intellects  were  as 
active,  vigorous,  comprehensive,  quick  to  learn  and 
slow  to  forget ;  as  competent  to  grasp  and  master 
the  highest  studies  of  mathematics  and  philosophy ; 
to  acquire  the  knowledge  of  logic,  rhetoric,  and 
composition ;  or  to  surmount  the  difficulties  of  the 
dead  languages,  as  those  of  the  other  sex :  and  often 
even  more  so ;  owing,  probably,  to  more  diligent 
application.  I  have  had  female  pupils  who,  by  a 
course  of  vigorous  discipline,  have  in  less  than  one 
year  acquired  such  an  impulse  for  knowledge,  that 
it  was  rather  needful  to  restrain  than  to  urge 
them,  and  only  the  delightful  task  of  directing  their 
upward  movement  remained  for  the  teacher.  Ob- 
7# 


! 


78  CHRISTIAN  EDUCATION  OF  WOMAN. 

servation  and  experience  have  convinced  us,  also, 
that  to  all  those  noble  and  important  uses  which  I 
have  specified,  female  education  maybe  successfully 
applied  ;  and  that  it  must  be  applied  to  them,  before 
Christianity  can  obtain  its  highest  end,  or  society 
reach  its  most  perfect  state,  or  woman  shine  in  her 
truest  and  brightest  lustre. 

4.  The  fourth  and  last  qualificatioi  vo  be  men¬ 
tioned  is  religion .  I  mention  this  last,  not  because 
it  is  least,  but  because  it  is  greatest,  and  is  the  crown 
and  glory  of  all  the  rest.  It  is  that  without  which 
all  the  other  qualifications  of  woman  will  only  give 
her  greater  power  to  do  evil  while  she  lives,  and 
sink  her  deeper  in  perdition  when  she  dies.  “  Favor 
is  deceitful,  and  beauty  is  vain  ;  but  a  woman  that 
feareth  the  Lord,  she  shall  be  praised.”  Indeed  ah 
her  other  qualifications  should  be  sought  from  the 
impulse  of  religious  motives.  She  should  be  taught 
to  consider  it  a  religious  duty  to  take  the  best  pos¬ 
sible  care  of  her  health ,  that  she  may  the  better  and 
the  longer  promote  the  object  of  her  existence  and 
that  of  her  fellow-beings.  She  should  be  taught  the 
duty  of  industry ,  that  she  may  make  the  most  that 
she  possibly  can  of  all  her  time  and  opportunities, 
to  render  herself  and  mankind  as  excellent  and  as 
blessed  as  possible.  She  should  be  taught  to  culti¬ 
vate  her  intellect ,  because  that  intellect  is  to  exist 
forever,  and  its  cultivation  here  is  to  affect  its  condi¬ 
tion  hereafter  ;  because  it  is  the  grand  instrument 
Tor  diffusing  truth  and  knowledge  and  moral  influ- 


CHRISTIAN  EDUCATION  OF  WOMAN. 


79 


ence ;  and  because  the  human  mind  is  the  noblest 
work  of  God  upon  earth,  and  has  the  impress  of  the 
divine  image,  so  that  to  waste  it  is  to  sacrifice  that 
whose  value  is  above  rubies. 

First  of  all,  then,  she  should  be  taught  her  relation 
to  God  and  to  his  kingdom.  She  should  take  the 

o 

law  of  God  for  her  rule  of  action,  and  submit  her¬ 
self  implicitly  to  his  will.  She  should  give  her  soul 
to  Christ,  trusting  in  his  grace  alone  for  salvation, 
realizing  that  she  has  been  bought  with  the  price  of 
his  blood.  With  grateful,  confiding,  and  rejoicing 
heart,  she  should  devote  all  her  powers  to  him  and 
to  his  service  forever.  She  should  commune  much 
with  God ‘in  daily  prayer,  seeking  above  all  things 
the  enlightening  and  renewing  influences  of  his 
Holy  Spirit.  Often  should  she  bedew  the  Savior’s 
cross  and  sepulchre  with  tears  of  gratitude,  peni¬ 
tence,  and  joy.  She  should  ascend  the  mount  of 
transfiguration,  breathe  the  atmosphere  of  heaven, 
gaze  upon  the  immaculate  glories  of  Christ,  till  she 
is  prepared  to  come  down  into  society  with  her  coun¬ 
tenance  irradiated  and  her  eye  kindling  with  the 
joys  of  that  uetter  world. 

She  should  educate  her  conscience  with  the  utmost 
tenderness  and  care.  She  should  aim  ever  to  keep 
it  void  of  offence  towards  God  and  man,  sprinkled 
from  dead  works,  so  as  faithfully  to  chide  all  delin¬ 
quency  and  commend  all  duty  ;  she  should  attend 
to  it  as  the  voice  of  the  Divinity,  ever  speaking,  and 
speaking  to  be  heard,  in  her  bosom.  She  should 


80 


CHRISTIAN  EDUCATION  OF  WOMAN. 


ever  prize  a  good  conscience  above  all  the  plea¬ 
sures  of  sense  and  all  the  fond  flatteries  of  the  world. 
With  the  utmost  fidelity  she  should  discipline  her 
will  to  cordial  and  sweet  subjection  to  the  will  of 
God,  and  to  all  the  dealings  of  his  providence ;  her 
affections  to  keen  and  lively  delight  in  God,  and  in 
all  his  requirements ;  so  that  she  can  say  from  day 
to  day,  “  Whom  have  I  in  heaven  but  thee,  and 
there  is  none  upon  earth  I  desire  beside  thee.” 

With  Christian  views  and  motives  she  should  also 
with  studious  care  cultivate  her  social  disposition, 
always  aiming  to  render  it  benevolent,  self-forget¬ 
ting,  amiable,  sweet,  engaging,  so  that  she  may  be 
attractive  to  all  who  know  her,  and  so  that  all  may 
see  in  her  the  pure  and  blessed  image  of  her  Savior. 

Thus,  while  many  of  her  companions  are  wasting 
their  health  in  pleasures  and  excesses,  wasting  their 
time  in  indolence  and  vanity,  wasting  their  intellects 
in  frivolous  reading  and  amusements,  wasting  their 
moral  energies  in  sin,  and  by  this  course  preparing 
themselves  to  be  mere  units  or  ciphers  in  existence, 
and  to  receive  the  condemnation  of  their  Judge  at 
last,  she  is  preparing  for  the  glorious  destination  and 
rewards  of  the  righteous  and  the  faithful.  As  her 
days  pass  happily  on,  every  hour  of  which  being 
diligently  and  delightfully  employed  in  securing  the 
object  of  her  existence  ;  as  her  habits  of  industry 
and  consequent  power  of  effect  grow  and  become 
confirmed ;  as  her  mind  rises  and  expands  with 
knowledge  and  vigor ;  as  her  moral  powers  become 


CHRISTIAN  EDUCATION  OF  WOMAN. 


81 


sanctified  and  shine  in  the  beauty  of  holiness ; 
as  the  worth  of  her  character  and  the  influence 
of  her  example  begin  to  be  seen  and  felt  by  all 
around  her  ;  it  is  manifest  that  she  is  in  a  sure 
course  of  preparation  to  be  set  as  a  corner-stone, 
polished  after  the  similitude  of  a  palace,  in  that  tem¬ 
ple  of  God  not  built  with  hands,  eternal  in  the  hea¬ 
vens.  And  when  ail  the  daughters  of  indolence, 
vanity,  pleasure,  and  sin,  shall  have  faded  like  the 
leaf  and  perished  from  remembrance  ;  when  the 
lusts  of  the  flesh  and  the  lusts  of  the  eye  and  the 
pride  of  life,  and  all  the  possessions,  flatteries,  and 

follies  of  the  world  shall  be  buried  in  an  awful  and 

-  / 

eternal  grave :  then  shall  she  appear  in  the  likeness 
of  her  Savior,  me  admiration  and  joy  of  angels,  at 
once  a  subject  and  a  source  of  unutterable  glory  and 
blessing  in  the  everlasting  kingdom  of  God. 


t 


/ 


\ 


N 


* 


WOMAN 

<  x 

IN  HER 


SOCIAL  AND  DOMESTIC  CHARACTER. 


BY 

MRS.  JOHN  SANDFORD. 


v 


i 


d//~ C/?  ,,  ftj/j 


J  Sartain. 


G 


ainsboro-ugh . 


CAUSES  OF  FEMALE  INFLUENCE. 


The  changes  wrought  by  Time  are  many.  It  in¬ 
fluences  the  opinions  of  men  as  familiarity  does  their 
feelings ;  it  has  a  tendency  to  do  away  with  super¬ 
stition,  and  to  reduce  every  thing  to  its  real  worth. 

It  is  thus  that  the  sentiment  for  woman  has  under¬ 
gone  a  change.  The  romantic  passion  which  once 
almost  deified  her  is  on  the  decline ;  and  it  is  by 
intrinsic  qualities  that  she  must  now  inspire  respect. 
She  is  no  longer  the  queen  of  song  and  the  star  of 
chivalry.  But>  if  there  is  less  of  enthusiasm  enter¬ 
tained  for  her,  the  sentiment  is  more  rational,  and, 
perhaps,  equally  sincere ;  for  it  is  in  relation  to  hap¬ 
piness  that  she  is  chiefly  appreciated. 

And  in  this  respect  it  is,  we  must  confess,  that  she 
is  most  useful  and  most  important.  Domestic  life  is 
the  chief  source  of  her  influence ;  and  the  greatest 
debt  society  can  owe  to  her  is  domestic  comfort .  for 


6 


CAUSES  OF 


happiness  is  almost  an  element  of  virtue ;  and  no¬ 
thing  conduces  more  to  improve  the  character  of  men 
than  domestic  peace.  A  woman  may  make  a  man’s 
home  delightful,  and  may  thus  increase  his  motives 
for  virtuous  exertion.  She  may  refine  and  tran¬ 
quillize  his  mind, — may  turn  away  his  anger  or  allay 
his  grief.  Her  smile  may  be  the  happy  influence 
to  gladden  his  heart,  and  to  disperse  the  cloud  that 
gathers  on  his  brow.  And  in  proportion  to  her  en¬ 
deavors  to  make  those  around  her  happy,  she  will 
be  esteemed  and  loved.  She  will  secure  by  her 
excellence  that  interest  and  regard  which  she  might 
formerly  claim  as  the  privilege  of  her  sex,  and  will 
really  merit  the  deference  which  was  then  conceded 
to  her  as  a  matter  of  course. 

Her  influence  is,  therefore,  now,  in  a  great  meas¬ 
ure,  dependent  on  herself;  and  it  is  both  her  duty 
and  her  interest  to  cultivate  those  qualities  which 
will  render  her  most  agreeable.  For  she  can  never 
hope  to  effect  any  thing  towards  the  improvement 
of  others  unless  she  first  obtains  their  regard;  nei¬ 
ther  will  her  opinion  be  of  weight,  or  her  wishes 
much  respected,  unless,  by  her  own  amiable  and 
judicious  conduct,  she  merits  such  attention. 

Perhaps  one  of  the  first  secrets  of  her  influence  is 
adaptation  to  the  tastes,  and  sympathy  in  the  feel¬ 
ings,  of  those  around  her.  This  holds  true  in  lesser 
as  well  as  in  graver  points.  It  is  in  the  former,  in¬ 
deed,  that  the  absence  of  interest  in  a  companion  is 
frequently  most  disappointing.  Where  want  of  con 


FEMALE  INFLUENCE. 


7 


geniality  impairs  domestic  comfort,  the  fault  is  gene¬ 
rally  chargeable  on  the  female  side.  It  is  for  woman, 
not  for  man,  to  make  the  sacrifice,  especially  in  in¬ 
different  matters.  She  must,  in  a  certain  degree,  be 
plastic  herself  if  she  would  mould  others.  And  this 
is  one  reason  why  very  good  women  are  sometimes 
very  uninfluential.  They  do  a  great  deal,  but  they 
yield  nothing  ;  they  are  impassible  themselves,  and 
therefore  they  cannot  affect  others.  They  proceed 
so  mechanically  in  their  vocation,  and  are  so  frigid 
to  every  thing  beyond  it,  that  their  very  virtue  seems 
automatical,  and  is  uninteresting  because  it  appears 
compulsory.  Negative  goodness,  therefore,  is  no* 
enough.  With  an  imperturbable  temper,  a  faultless 
economy,  an  irreproachable  demeanor,  a  woman 
may  be  still  far  from  engaging  ;  and  her  discharge 
of  family  relations  compatible  with  much  domestic 
dulness.  And  the  danger  is  lest  this  dryness  alien¬ 
ate  affection  which  sympathy  might  have  secured, 
and  nullify  an  influence  which  might  otherwise  have 
been  really  beneficial.  To  be  useful,  a  woman  must 
have  feeling.  ,  It  is  this  which  suggests  the  thou¬ 
sand  nameless  amenities  which  fix  her  empire  in  the 
heart,  and  render  her  so  agreeable,  and  almost  so 
necessary,  that  she  imperceptibly  rises  in  the  do¬ 
mestic  circle,  and  becomes  at  once  its  cement  and 
its  charm. 

If  it  be  then  really  her  wish  to  increase  her  hold 
on  the  affections,  and  to  mature  the  sentiment  which 
passion  may  have  excited,  let  her  not  forget  that 


8 


CAUSES  OF 


nothing  conduces  more  to  these  results  than  con¬ 
geniality.  Perhaps  conjugal  virtue  was  never  more 
aptly  panegyrized  than  in  the  following  eulogy  on  a 
matron  of  the  last  century : — “  She  was  a  lady  of 
such  symmetrical  proportion  to  her  husband,  that 
they  s*eemed  to  come  together  by  a  sort  of  natural 
magnetism.5’ 

Domestic  life  is  a  woman’s  sphere,  and  it  is  there 
that  she  is  most  usefully  as  well  as  most  appro¬ 
priately  employed.  But  society,  too,  feels  her  in¬ 
fluence,  and  receives  from  her,  in  great  measure,  its 
balance  and  its  tone.  She  may  be  here  a  corrective 
of  what  is  wrong,  a  moderator  of  what  is  unruly,  a 
restraint  on  what  is  indecorous.  Her  presence  may 
be  a  pledge  against  impropriety  and  excess,  a  check 
on  vice,  and  a  protection  to  virtue. 

And  it  is  her  delicacy  which  will  secure  to  her 
such  an  influence,  and  enable  her  to  maintain  it. 
The  policy  of  licentiousness  is  to  undermine  where 
it  cannot  openly  attack,  and  to  weaken  by  stratagem 
what  it  may  not  rudely  assail.  But  a  delicate  woman 
will  he  as  much  upon  her  guard  against  the  insidi¬ 
ous  as  against  the  direct  assault,  and  will  no  more 
tolerate  the  innuendo  than  the  avowal.  She  will 
shrink  from  the  licentiousness  which  is  couched  in 
ambiguous  phrase  or  veiled  in  covert  allusion,  and 
from  the  immorality  which,  though  it  may  not  offend 
the  ear,  is  meant  to  corrupt  the  heart.  And  though 
a  depraved  taste  may  relish  the  condiments  of  vice, 
or  an  unscrupulous  palate  receive  them  without  de- 


FEMALE  INFLUENCE. 


9 


tection,  her  virtue  will  be  too  sensitive  not  to  reject 
the  poison,  and  to  recoil  from  it  spontaneously. 

Delicacy  is,  indeed,  the  point  of  honor  in  woman. 
Her  purity  of  manner  will  ensure  to  her  deference, 
and  repress,  more  effectually  than  any  other  influ¬ 
ence,  impropriety  of  every  kind.  A  delicate  woman, 
too,  will  be  more  loved,  as  well  as  more  respected, 
than  any  other  ;  for  affection  can  scarcely  be  excited, 
and  certainly  cannot  long  subsist,  unless  it  is  founded 
on  esteem. 

Yet  such  delicacy  is  neither  prudish  nor  insipid. 
Conversation,  for  instance,  is  one  great  source  of  a 
woman’s  influence  ;  and  it  is  her  province,  and  her 
peculiar  talent,  to  give  zest  to  it.  She  is,  and  ought 
to  be,  the  enlivener  of  society.  If  she  restrains  im¬ 
propriety,  she  may  promote  cheerfulness ;  and  it  is 
not  because  her  conversation  is  innocent  that  it  need 
therefore  be  dull.  The  sentiment  of  woman  contri¬ 
butes  much  to  social  interest ;  her  feeling  imparts 
life,  and  her  gentleness  a  polish. 

It  is  not,  however,  by  effort  that  she  will  succeed, 
or  by  mere  volubility  that  she  will  render  herself 
agreeable.  Some  women  seem  to  think  time  lost 
when  they  are  not  tailring ;  and  whether  it  be  mere 
worldly  tittle-tattle  or  insipid  sentimentalism  in  which 
they  indulge,  they  are  equally  impatient  of  listening 
and  equally  anxious  to  engross.  But  soliloquizing 
is  not  conversation.  In  woman,  too,  an  attempt  at 
display  is  always  disagreeable,  and  even  brilliancy 
will  not  atone  for  it. 


10 


CAUSES  OF 


The  charm  of  conversation  is  feeling ;  forgetting 
one’s  self,  and  sympathizing  with  others.  It  is  not 
to  shine,  but  to  please,  that  a  woman  should  desire ; 
and  she  will  do  so  only  when  she  is  graceful  and 
unaffected,  when  her  wish  is  not  so  much  to  be  ad¬ 
mired  as  to  contribute  to  the  gratification  of  others. 

And,  for  this  purpose,  she  must  bring  into  society 
heart  and  mind.  The  one  will  teach  her  how  to 
feel  for  those  around  her,  the  other  how  to  adapt  her¬ 
self  to  them ;  and  both  will  greatly  contribute  to  her 
agreeableness.  The  insipidity  of  some  women  is 
attributable  more  to  want  of  interest  than  of  capacity. 
It  is  not  because  they  have  nothing  to  say  that  they 
say  nothing,  nor  because  they  are  deficient  that  they 
are  trifling.  They  sometimes  do  not  trouble  them¬ 
selves  to  be  agreeable.  They  think  that  if  they  look 
pretty,  and  are  inoffensive,  they  fulfil  their  part ; 
and  they  glide  through  life  like  tame  animals,  and 
are  almost  as  indolent  and  as  selfish.  It  is  well  if, 
when  they  cease  to  be  ornamental,  they  do  not  be¬ 
come  as  troublesome. 

A  woman  should  always  do  her  utmost  to  please ; 
and  an  expression  of  interest  is  often  sufficient.  To 
be  a  good  listener,  and  to  reply  w7ith  ease,  good 
sense,  and  good  breeding,  are  the  most  requisite 
qualities  for  an  agreeable  companion  ;  but  the  scaled 
lips,  the  vacant  stare,  and  the  abrupt  transition,  are 
equally  rude  and  disappointing. 

Such  indifference  is  inexcusable  in  those  whose 
talent  for  conversation  might  be  so  easily  improved. 


FEMALE  INFLUENCE.  • 


1] 


English  women  are  proverbially  silent ;  yet  there  is 
no  reason  why  they  should  be  so,  nor  why,  because 
they  are  exemplary  at  home,  they  should  be  insipid 
in  society.  It  is  their  boast  that  their  education  is 
superior ;  it  is,  then,  the  more  to  their  discredit,  when 
it  fails  in  what  is  surely  an  important  result.  And 
if  men  are  too  apt  to  retire  to  themselves,  if  they  talk 
of  politics  and  the  chase,  whilst  dress  and  tittle-tattle 
are  discussed  upon  the  sofa,  may  not  their  exclusive¬ 
ness  be,  in  great  measure,  attributable  to  the  bad 
grace  with  which  they  are  too  frequently  received  ? 
Might  not  the  stillness  of  the  one,  and  the  insipidity 
of  the  other  circle,  be  often  much  relieved  by  a  little 
more  sympathy  between  them  ? 

Again,  to  be  agreeable,  a  woman  must  avoid 
egotism.  No  matter  how  superior  she  may  be,  she 
will  never  be  liked  if  she  talfs  chiefly  of  herself. 
The  impression  of  her  own  importance  can  convey 
no  pleasure  to  others ;  on  the  contrary,  as  a  desire 
for  distinction  is  generally  mutual,  a  sense  of  in¬ 
feriority  must  be  depressing. 

If  we  would  converse  pleasingly,  we  must  en¬ 
deavor  to  set  others  at  ease  ;  and  it  is  not  by  flattery 
that  we  can  succeed  in  doing  so,  but  by  a  courteous 
and  kind  address,  which  delicately  avoids  all  need¬ 
less  irritation,  and  endeavors  to  infuse  that  good  hu¬ 
mor  of  which  it  is  itself  the  result. 

In  women  this  is  a  Christian  duty.  How  often 
should  they  suppress  their  own  claims  rather  than 
interfere  with  those  of  others.  How  studiously 


12 


CAUSES  OF 


should  they  employ  their  talent  in  developing  that 
of  their  associates,  and  not  for  its  own  display.  How 
invariably  should  they  discard  pretension,  and  shun 
even'  the  appearance  of  conceit ;  seeking  to  imbibe 
<he  spirit  of  that  lovely  religion,  of  which  sympathy 
is  the  characteristic  feature,  and  humility  the  pre¬ 
eminent  grace. 

It  is  ih  this  way  that  accomplishment  contributes 
to  the  agreeableness  of  woman.  The  encouragement 
and  cultivation  of  the  arts  seems,  indeed,  appropriate 
to  her.  Yet,  perhaps,  there  is  nothing  in  which  she 
oftener  errs.  In  this,  as  in  other  things,  affectation 
spoils  all.  There  is  a  theatrical  manner  about  some 
women,  which,  to  say  the  least  of  it,  is  an  outrage 
upon  taste.  The  gestures  of  the  stage  can  never  be 
appropriate  in  a  private  circle,  nor  are  they  becoming 
a  modest  female.  She  may  copy  the  skill,  but  surely 
nothing  else  that  marks  the  professional  performer. 

But  affectation  is  not  the  only  mistake  into  which 
women  may  fall  in  reference  to  accomplishment. 
Some  of  them  seem  to  imagine  that  a  proficiency  in 
the  fine  arts  compensates  for  the  want  of  all  other 
attraction  ;  and  as  this  is  their  only  charm,  they  are 
restless  until  it  is  displayed,  and  dissatisfied  unless 
it  excites  admiration.  Their  happiness,  or,  at  least, 
their  affability,  seems  to  depend  on  the  success  of 
their  bravura,  or  the  admiration  excited  by  their  tint¬ 
ing.  Yet  a  mere  display  of  skill  contributes  little  to 
the  agreeableness  of  society.  However  fond  we  may 
be  of  music  or  drawing,  we  should  scarcely  select  a 


FEMALE  INFLUENCE. 


13 


companion  from  her  proficiency  in  playing  a  concerto, 
or  her  skill  in  laying  on  colors. 

Women  who  are  eager  to  exhibit  are  often  care¬ 
less  of  pleasing  in  a  domestic  circle ;  their  talent 
must  be  kept  as  a  gem  for  special  occasions,  and  when 
these  are  wanting  it  is  almost  as  useless.  It  is  to 
attract  notice ;  and  when  the  great  end  of  notice  is 
attained,  it  may  be  laid  aside.  It  is  to  captivate  ; 
and  when  the  prize  is  secured,  the  fascination  ceases. 

But  it  is  not  to  add  another  toil  to  the  meshes  of 
intrigue,  or  to  furnish  coquetry  with  another  means 
of  allurement,  that  the  talent  of  women  is  to  be  cul¬ 
tivated.  Accomplishment  is,  indeed,  a  graceful  and 
appropriate  ornament ;  but  it  should  be  worn  with 
ease,  and  should  be  rather  the  indication  of  an  ele¬ 
gant  mind  than  an  extrinsic  decoration.  It  should 
render  a  woman  more  agreeable  both  at  home  and  in 
society,  and  should  furnish  her  with  one  of  those 
innocent  and  graceful  refreshments  which  vary  and 
relieve  graver  occupation. 

It  is  seldom,  indeed,  that  women  are  great  pro¬ 
ficients.  The  chefs-d’asuvre  of  the  sculptress  need 
the  polish  of  the  master  chisel ;  and  the  female  pen¬ 
cil  has  never  yet  limned  the  immortal  forms  of 
beauty.  The  mind  of  woman  is,  perhaps,  incapable 
of  the  originality  and  strength  requisite  for  the  sub¬ 
lime.  Even  Saint  Cecilia  exists  only  in  an  elegant 
legend ;  and  the  poetry  of  music,  if  often  felt  and 
expressed,  has  seldom  been  conceived  by  a  female 

adept.  But  the  practical  talents  of  women  are  far 

2 


14 


C  A  USES  OF  FEMALE  INFLUENCE. 


from  contemptible  ;  and  they  may  be  both  the  en- 
couragers  and  the  imitators  of  genius.  They  should 
not  grasp  at  too  much,  or  be  content  with  superficial 
attainment ;  they  should  not  merely  daub  a  few 
flowers,  or  hammer  out  a  few  tunes,  or  trifle  away 
their  time  in  inept  efforts,  which  at  best  claim  only 
indulgence ;  but  they  should  do  well  what  they  do 
attempt,  and  do  it  without  affectation  or  display. 


CAUSES  OF  FEMALE  INFLUENCE. 


Nothing  is  so  likely  to  conciliate  the  affections  of 
the  other  sex  as  a  feeling  that  woman  looks  to  them 
for  support  and  guidance.  In  proportion  as  men  are 
themselves  superior,  they  are  accessible  to  this  appeal. 
On  the  contrary,  they  never  feel  interested  in  one 
who  seems  disposed  rather  to  offer  than  to  ask  as¬ 
sistance.  There  is,  indeed,  something  un feminine 
in  independence.  It  is  contrary  to  nature,  and  there¬ 
fore  it  offends.  We  do  not  like  to  see  a  woman 
affecting  tremors,  but  still  less  do  we  like  to  see  her 
acting  the  amazon.  A  really  sensible  woman  feels 
her  dependence.  She  does  what  she  can ;  but  she 
is  conscious  of  inferiority,  and  therefore  grateful  for 
support.  She  knows  that  she  is  the  weaker  vessel, 
and  that  as  such  she  should  receive  honor.  In  this 
view,  her  weakness  is  an  attraction,  not  a  blemish. 

In  every  thing,  therefore,  that  women  attempt, 
they  should  show  their  consciousness  of  dependence. 
If  they  are  learners,  let  them  evince  a  teachable 
spirit ;  if  they  give  an  opinion,  let  them  do  it  in  an 
unassuming  manner.  There  is  something  so  un¬ 
pleasant  in  female  self-sufficiency  that  it  not  unfre- 
quently  deters  instead  of  persuading,  and  prevents 


16 


CAUSES  OF 


the  adoption  of  advice  which  the  judgment  even  ap¬ 
proves.  Yet  this  is  a  fault  into  which  women  of 
certain  pretensions  are  occasionally  betrayed.  Age, 
or  experience,  or  superior  endowment,  entitles  them, 
they  imagine,  to  assume  a  higher  place,  and  a  more 
independent  tone.  But  their  sex  should  ever  teach 
them  to  be  subordinate ;  and  they  should  remember 
that  influence  is  obtained  not  by  assumption,  but  by 
a  delicate  appeal  to  affection  or  principle.  Women, 
in  this  respect,  are  something  like  children  ;  the  more 
they  show  their  need  of  support,  the  more  engaging 
they  are. 

The  appropriate  expression  of  dependence  is  gen¬ 
tleness.  However  endowed  with  superior  talents  a 
woman  may  be,  without  gentleness  she  cannot  be 
agreeable.  Gentleness  ought  to  be  the  characteristic 
of  the  sex ;  and  there  is  nothing  that  can  compensate 
for  the  want  of  this  feminine  attraction. 

Gentleness  is,  indeed,  the  talisman  of  woman. 
To  interest  the  feelings  is  to  her  much  easier  than  to 
convince  the  judgment ;  the  heart  is  far  more  ac¬ 
cessible  to  her  influence  than  the  head.  She  never 
gains  so  much  as  by  concession,  and  is  never  so 
likely  to  overcome  as  when  she  seems  to  yield. 

Gentleness  prepossesses  at  first  sight :  it  insinuates 
itself  into  the  vantage  ground,  and  gains  the  best 
position  by  surprise.  Whilst  a  display  of  skill  and 
strength  calls  forth  a  counter  array,  gentleness  at 
once  disarms  opposition,  and  wins  the  day  before  it 
is  contested. 


FEMALE  INFLUENCE. 


17 


The  mind  of  woman  should  be  cast  in  a  gentle 
mould.  We  feel  occasionally  that  how  much  soevei 
we  may  respect  some  women,  there  is  that  about 
them  which  we  can  scarcely  love.  They  want  the 
softness  and  sweetness  essential  to  female  grace. 
Their  conversation  is  not  pleasing,  because,  though 
what  they  say  may  be  very  just,  and  even  very  in 
structive,  it  does  not  fall  from  honied  lips.  And 
though  we  esteem  their  character,  we  do  not  court 
their  society,  but  are  inclined  to  prefer  knowing  them 
at  a  distance  to  a  more  intimate  acquaintance  with 
them. 

Nearly  allied  to  gentleness  is  elegance.  Elegance 
contributes  much  to  female  fascination ;  and  women 
should  seek  to  be  elegant  not  only  in  manner,  but  in 
mind.  Manner  is,  indeed,  generally  symptomatic  ; 
but  as  it  may  be  artificial,  it  is  no  sure  criterion  of 
mental  grace.  It  is  the  latter  which  is  essential  to 
true  beauty.  Without  it,  the  fairest  form  disappoints 
and  wearies.  It  is  the  radiance  that  sets  off  every 
other  charm,  and  sheds  on  each  its  appropriate  hue. 
It  is  tint  and  proportion.  Yet  it  is  more  easily 
understood  than  defined,  and  better  felt  than  ex¬ 
pressed. 

Of  such  elegance  taste  is  the  true  source.  As  it 
teaches  symmetry,  so  does  it  impart  grace.  Taste 
is  the  rule  of  elegance.  There  may  be  artificial 
forms,  and  these  may  or  may  not  be  agreeable  to  the 
proportions  of  taste ;  but  taste  gives  the  only  true 

models,  and  every  departure  from  them  is  an  error 
2*  B 


18 


CAUSES  OF 


Taste  is  susceptible  of  improvement ;  and  elegance 
is  the  result  of  cultivated  taste.  As  in  art  the  rude 
handler  of  the  chisel  may  in  time  become  a  proficient 
in  sculpture,  or  the  most  simple  designer  a  master 
of  the  easel ;  so  may  the  taste  which  refines  the 
mind  and  proportions  the  character  be  equally  disci¬ 
plined  and  improved.  ^ 

It  is  a  great  mistake  to  suppose  that  fashion  is  a 
criterion  of  elegance.  Modes  of  fashion  are  entirely 
conventional,  and  are  often  as  ungraceful  as  they  are 
capricious.  The  lady,  for  instance,  who  anoints  her 
head  with  tallow  is  irresistible  in  Ethiopia;  and 
though  we  cannot  sympathize  with  her  admirers,  we 
have  no  right  to  question  their  taste.  Our  own  has 
been,  at  times,  little  better.  We  may  smile  at  the 
strictures  of  the  Spectator  on  the  patches  of  his  day ; 
but  the  coiffure  of  this  century  has  vied  with  the 
cushion  of  the  last,  and  the  dimensions  of  our  own 
petticoats  have  sometimes  seemed  to  threaten  the  rein¬ 
statement  of  the  hoop. 

But  it  is  .not  in  costume  only  that  fashion  is  gro¬ 
tesque  ;  in  manner  she  is  equally  capricious.  Ele¬ 
gance  rests  on  immutable  rules  ;  but  the  versatility 
of  fashion  is  proverbial.  The  euphuism  of  the  Eliza¬ 
bethan  court  was  but  little  more  absurd  than  the 
mannerism  which  has  often  been  as  arbitrarily  pre¬ 
scribed.  Each  may  be  in  its  turn  a  test  of  ton,  or  a 
passport  to  exclusive  circles,  or  a  mode  as  universal 
as  the  contour  of  a  robe,  and,  from  its  sameness,  as 
wearisome  ;  but  it  has  no  intrinsic  recommendation 


FEMALE  INFLUENCE. 


19 


and  though  it  may  obtain  for  a  season,  it  must  soon 
be  cast  off  as  an  obsolete  dress. 

But  good  breeding  is  quite  a  different  thing.  It 
is  the  result  of  a  refined  taste  ;  and  though  generally 
the  mark  of  good  company,  it  differs  essentially  from 
the  prescriptions  of  fashion.  It  is  without  affectation 
and  without  constraint.  It  is  unobtrusive  and  un¬ 
pretending.  It  is  always  self-possessed  and  at  ease  ; 
for  it  knows  its  own  place  and  its  own  relations.  Its 
courtesy  is  not  officious,  nor  are  its  attentions  ever 
troublesome.  Yet  this  quiet  and  lady-like  deport¬ 
ment,  though  it  seems  to  imply  no  effort,  is  by  no 
means  an  easy  or  a  common  attainment.  On  the 
contrary,  we  often  see  women  who  have  lived  much 
in  society  very  deficient  in  this  criterion  of  grace ; 
and  we  can  quite  understand  the  remark  of  a  really 
high-bred  woman  on  a  candidate  for  fashionable 
celebrity  :  “  She  is  very  pretty,  and  very  pleasing, 
but  she  wants  repose.” 

Elegance  is  nature,  but  not  rude  nature ;  it  is  un¬ 
affected,  but  not  unpolished :  it  copies  natural  grace, 
and  corrects  natural  defects.  Yet  it  is  no  servile 
imitator,  for  it  studies  suitability  as  well  as  simplicity. 
It  does  not,  for  instance,  imagine  that  what  is  very 
pretty  and  playful  in  a  girl  of  fourteen  is  equally 
becoming  at  thirty.  Neither  does  it  play  the  romp, 

or  act  the  groom,  leap  a  five-barred  gate,  or  affect 

/ 

the  Di  Vernon.  Least  of  all  does  it  indulge  in  that 
raillery  which  is  piquante  only  because  it  is  personal, 
and  which  amuses  in  nroportion  as  it  annoys.  It 


20 


i’  4TJ  S  E  S  OF 


has  a  respect  for  the  feelings,  and  a  tenderness  even 
for  the  faults,  of  others ;  and  as  it  never  wounds,  so 
does  it  nevei  invite  aggression. 

It  implies  feeling  also  ;  and  here  again  does  it 
differ  from  the  polish  of  the  world.  Selfishness  is 
the  bane  of  fashionable  life.  Every  one  is  cold,  for 
every  one  is  selfish.  What  court  could  be  more 
polished  than  that  of  Marie  Antoinette?  Yet  sel¬ 
fishness  was  the  predominating  principle,  and  in  the 
hour  of  trial  self-preservation'  the  only  aim.  The 
Hite  of  Paris  paid,  however,  the  greater  compliment 
to  sentiment,  by  assuming  its  language,  whilst  they 
were  strangers  to  its  real  influence. 

Nothing  is  more  persuasive  than  feeling ;  it  has 
a  natural  charm  ’to  which  art  can  never  attain ;  and 
therefore  it  is  that  we  feel  the  connection  between 
elegance  and  amiability.  We  must  allow,  indeed, 
the  not  unfrequent  existence  of  the  latter  without  the 
former  ;  but  we  can  scarcely  conceive  a  really  ele¬ 
gant  woman  altogether  unamiable. 

Elegance  is  poetry  in  action.  Imagination  may 
paint  the  heroine  deficient  in  beauty,  but  never  in 
elegance.  It  is  this  which  diffuses,  as  it  were,  a 
halo  round  woman,  which  invests  her  with  a  ro¬ 
mantic  charm,  and  which  more,  perhaps,  than  any 
other  attraction,  renders  her  an  object  of  interest. 

Yet  it  is  grace  not  affected,  but  natural;  grace 
which  tinges  every  thought,  breathes  in  every  ex¬ 
pression,  and'  regulates  every  movement — which 


FEMALE  INFLUENCE. 


21 


adorns  the  hearth  as  much  as  the  drawing-room; 
and  which  is  habitual,  because  it  is  innate. 

And  if  such  grace  is  not  the  property  of  the  many, 
out  of  the  few ;  if  experience  tells  us  that  it  exists 
oftener  in  the  mind  of  the  poet  than  in  every-day 
life  ;  above  all,  if  there  are  many  kind,  and  excellent, 
and  most  admirable  women  who  by  no  means  realize 
it ;  these  are  still  no  reasons  why  we  should  not  set 
it  before  us,  and  try  to  imitate  what  is  so  truly  at¬ 
tractive.  There  are  none,  perhaps,  who,  in  early 
life,  cannot  attain  to  something  like  elegance  ;  and 
though  it  be  but  an  ornament,  it  is  one  so  agreeable 
that  it  is  well  worth  endeavoring  to  possess. 

To  be  careless  of  elegance,  indeed,  proves  little 
anxiety  to  please,  or  little  acquaintance  with  the 
susceptibilities  of  the  heart. 

Man  is  very  accessible  to  the  graceful  and  the 
beautiful ;  and,  however  engrossed  by  higher  pur¬ 
suits,  he  seeks  in  the  society  of  woman  relaxation 
and  relief.  He  wishes  to  find  in  her  an  enlivener 
and  sweetener  of  his  leisure,  as  well  as  the  sharer 
of  his  cares ;  and  a  sensible  woman  will  be  desirous 
that  her  address  should  furnish  a  recommendation, 
rather  than  a  contrast,  to  her  moral  or  mental  worth. 

Religion,  far  from  disparaging  elegance,  gives  new 
motives  for  its  cultivation.  The  religious  woman 
should  endeavor  to  increase  her  influence,  that  she 
may  turn  it  to  the  best  account ;  and,  in  this  view, 
she  will  not  consider  what  is  ornamental  as  unworthy 
her  regard.  She  will  cultivate  it  as  a  means  of  per* 


22 


CAUSES  OF  FEMALE  INFLUENCE. 


suasion  ;  and  will  study  to  be  agreeable,  were  it  only 
from  a  desire  to  recommend  her  principles. 

Christianity  is  itself  full  of  grace.  It  is  a  refiner 
as  well  as  a  purifier  of  the  heart.  It  imparts  cor¬ 
rectness  of  perception,  delicacy  of  sentiment,  and  all 
those  nicer  shades  of  thought  and  feeling  which 
constitute  elegance  of  mind.  Why,  then,  should 
piety  and  inelegance  be  associated  ?  Or  why  should 
an  absence  of  the  graceful  characterize  religious 
persons  so  often,  that  awkwardness  and  even  vul¬ 
garity  are  regarded  by  many  as  the  usual  concomi¬ 
tants  of  extraordinary  seriousness  ? 

Women  of  piety  should  not  give  occasion  to  such 
a  reproach.  They  are  not  more  devout  because  they 
are  ungraceful,  or  more  heavenly-minded  because 
they  are  deficient  in  taste.  On  the  contrary,  they 
imbibe  more  deeply  the  spirit  of  their  lovely  religion 
when  they  carry  its  charm  into  the  detail  of  life, 
when  they  are  fascinating  as  well  as  faithful,  and 
agreeable  as  well  as  good. 


THI  VALUE  OF  LETTERS  TO  WOMAN. 


Opinion  is  now  more  than  it  ever  was  in  favor  of 
the  diffusion  of  knowledge  ;  and  it  is  only  to  be  ex¬ 
pected  that  woman  should  profit  by  this  enlargement 
of  feeling.  Not  that  the  has  bleu  is  not  still  un¬ 
popular  ;  but  as  female  acquirements  have  become 
more  common,  they  attract  less  notice,  and  their 
utility  and  importance  are  better  understood. 

Still,  however,  there  is  no  possession  of  which 
men  are  so  tenacious  as  that  of  learning.  Perhaps 
it  is  because  knowledge  is  power  that  they  are  there¬ 
fore  not  disposed  to  share  it  with  woman ;  or  per¬ 
haps  it  is  because,  instead  of  improving  her  acquire¬ 
ments  to  good  purpose,  she  sometimes  only  uses 
them  as  a  plea  for  assumption. 

It  is  to  be  feared  that  their  reluctance  is  to  be  as¬ 
cribed  principally  to  the  latter  cause ;  for  it  must  be 
allowed  that  literary  ladies  have  not  been  always 
very  prepossessing.  The  disciple  of  Wollstoncraft 
threw  off  her  hat  and  called  for  a  boot-jack,  and 
imagined  that  by  affecting  the  manners  of  the  other 
sex  she  should  best  assert  her  equality  with  them. 
The  female  pedant  appears  in  a  disordered  dress  and 
with  inky  fingers,  and  fancies  that  the  further  she  is 


24 


THE  VALUE  OF 


removed  from  feminine  grace  the  nearer  she  ap¬ 
proaches  to  manly  vigor.  We  cannot  wonder  that 
with  such  examples,  men  should  prefer  .proficients 
in  housewifery  to  smatterers  in  science  ;■  and  that, 
they  would  rather  see  on  their  wife’s  table  Mrs. 
Dalgairns  on  Domestic,  than  Mrs.  Marcet  on  Po¬ 
litical,  Economy. 

But  then  there  is  no  reason  why  female  acquire¬ 
ment  should  he  identified  with  all  this  folly.  On 
the  contrary,  it  is  the  tendency  of  real  knowledge  to 
make  a  woman  sensible,  as  well  as  humble  ;  and  it 
is  on  this  very  account  so  valuable  to  the  sex. 

To  produce,  however,  this  good  effect,  acquirement 
must  not  be  superficial.  It  is  not  occasionally  read¬ 
ing  a  review,  or  skimming  a  periodical,  that  will  im¬ 
prove  the  mind,  or  afford  us  solid  satisfaction.  A 
very  little  knowledge  gathered  in  this  way  enables 
a  woman,  indeed,  to  shine  in  conversation,  and  gives 
her  the  credit  of  being  very  intellectual ;  but  she  is 
at  the  same  time  conscious  of  the  weakness  of  her 
pretension,  and  is  not  unlikely  to  endeavor  to  com¬ 
pensate  by  mere  fluency  for  what  she  feels  to  be  her 
deficiency  in  depth. 

Women  are  by  no  means  wanting  in  ready  talent. 
Their  perception  is  very  quick,  and  they  are  dex¬ 
terous  in  applying  the  knowledge  they  possess. 
Thus  they  sometimes  seem  to  make  a  rapid  pro¬ 
gress,  and  even  to  outstrip  minds  of  greater  vigor. 
But,  on  this  account,  intellectual  discipline  is,  in  their 
case,  the  more  essential :  that  it  may  teach  them 


LETTERS  TO  WOMAN.  ' 


25 


how  really  to  improve  their  faculty  of  acquirement ; 
and  that  it  may  check  an  exuberance  which  is  gen¬ 
erally  disappointing  because  it  is  precocious. 

It  is  to  superficial  attainment  that  we  may  trace 
most  of  the  mistakes  which  persops  fall  into  with 
respect  to  literature.  We  are  never  so  likely  to  be 
vain  as  when  we  estimate  our  proficiency  solely  by 
the  number  of  our  acquirements.  And  this  is  not 
unfrequently  the  case  with  women.  They  know  a 
little  Latin,  a  little  Italian,  a  little  German,  perhaps 
a  little  Hebrew,  or  a  little  Greek ;  and  they  imme¬ 
diately  imagine  themselves  scholars.  And  they  are 
not  unfrequently  encouraged  in  this  belief  by  the 
flattery  of  their  friends  ;  for  to  construe  a  page  in  a 
classic  authbr,  to  read  a  German  play,  or  to  quote  a 
stanza  of  an  Italian  poet,  is  quite  sufficient  to  estab¬ 
lish  their  claim  to  superior  talent.  Can  we  wonder, 
then,  that  they  should  be  a  little  prone  to  vanity, 
when  so  much  is  thought  of  very  trifling  attainments ; 
or  that  they  should  be  somewhat  ambitious  of  literary 
fame,  when  it  may  be  so  easily  obtained  ? 

It  was  different  with  the  ladies  of  an  earlier  cen¬ 
tury, — with  the  Moricse,  and  others,  of  whom  the 
writers  of  that  day  make  honorable  mention.  The 
daughters  of  More,  the  associate  of  Edward,  and  the 
pupil  of  Roger  Ascham,  enjoyed,  indeed,  no  common 
advantages.  But  what  would  the  female  bel  esprit 
of  the  nineteenth  century  think  of  maintaining  a 
Latin  correspondence  with  the  first  scholar  of  dn* 
age  ?  Or  what  would  our  modern  blue-stockmgs 
8 


26 


THE  VALUE  OF 


make  of  a  dialogue  of  Plato,  or  a  play  of  Sophoeles  ; 
Or,  to  refer  to  a  later  period,  how  would  our  lady  phi¬ 
losophers  solve  a  problem  in  the  “  Ladies’  Diary?  ” 
Literature,  indeed,  was  a  rare  accomplishment 
amongst  women  of  former  days  ;  but  when  they  did 
attempt  it  they  were  satisfied  with  no  ordinary  pro¬ 
ficiency.  It  is  a  pity  that  their  industry  and  good 
sense  are  not  oftener  imitated  ;  for,  though  we  may 
not  wish  all  women  to  be,  like  them,  Grecians  or 
mathematicians,  we  cannot  question  the  superiority 
of  intellectual  pursuits  to  many  of  the  usual  ways 
of  getting  rid  of  time.  Why  should  not  the  leisure 
of  women  be  employed  in  storing  and  strengthening 
their  minds  ?  Why,  if  they  are  spared  the  fatigues 
of  active  life,  should  they  be  debarred  from  the  pleas¬ 
ures  of  literature  ?  The  lives  of  too  many  of  them 
are  spent  almost  in  idleness  ;  and  their  alleged  in¬ 
aptitude  for  intellectual  pursuits  furnishes  a  plea  for 
listlessness  and  trifling.  They  fancy  themselves 
not  called  to  mental  exertion,  and  they  therefore 
throw  away  their  time  in  frivolous  occupation  or  still 
more  frivolous  amusement.  Passant  la  moitie  de 
leur  temps  a  ne  rien  faire,  et  l’autre  moitie  a  faire 
des  riens.  But  though  all  may  not  have  taste  or 
capacity  for  the  higher  branches  of  learning, — all 
may  not  be  able  to  paraphrase  Job  or  to  translate 
Epictetus, — yet  there  are  few  who  may  not  improve 
their  talents,  and  who  would  not  be  much  more 
agreeable,  as  well  as  useful,  if  their  minds  were 
cultivated  and  enlarged. 


/ 


LETTERS  TO  WOMAN.  *  27 

There  are  some  branches  of  knowledge  which  are 
strictly  feminine,  and  from  which  there  can  be  no 
reason  for  discouraging  the  sex.  We  may  doubt 
the  appropriateness  of  the  crucible  and  the  blow¬ 
pipe,  or  may  wish  the  fair  naturalist  a  better  em¬ 
ployment  than  breaking  stones  ;  but  what  is  so  cal¬ 
culated  to  embellish  and  refine  the  mind  as  the  belles 
lettres  of  every  age  and  country  ?  Only  we  should 
be  always  on  our  guard  against  imperfect  attain¬ 
ment,  and  against  making  the  enlargement  of  our 
sphere  an  excuse  for  being  rambling  and  desultory. 

There  is  a  mistake  with  regard  to  languages  into 
which  women  sometimes  fall.  They  imagine  that 
they  cannot  know  too  many  tongues ;  and  they  for¬ 
get  that  it  is  chiefly  as  a  key  to  literature  that  these 
are  valuable.  Thus,  when  they  have  mastered  one 
or  two  books,  they  are  only  anxious  to  pass  on  to 
another  continental  dialect.  And  yet,  if  the  labor 
lavished  on  verbal  criticism  has  sometimes  been  re¬ 
garded  as  unprofitable,  how  much  more  so  is  that 
which  tends  to  convert  the  mind  into  nothing  but  a 
dictionary ! 

In  the  same  way,  time  is  not  unfrequently  mis¬ 
spent  in  mere  reading.  The  getting  through  a  cer¬ 
tain  number  of  volumes  is  thought  to  be  a  meritorious 
exertion,  and  is  looked  back  upon  with  complacency; 
though  perhaps  all  this  painstaking  labor  has  been 
without  benefit,  and  has  done  nothing  towards  en¬ 
riching  or  strengthening  the  mind.  Some  read 
without  recollecting,  many  more  without  thinking, 


28 


'The  value  of 


and  many  again  without  applying  what  they  read  to 
any  moral  or  practical  purpose.  For,  after  all, 
literature  is  a  mere  step  to  knowledge,  and  the  error 
often  lies  in  our  identifying  one  with  the  other. 
Literature  may,  perhaps,  make  us  vain  ;  true  know¬ 
ledge  must  render  us  humble. 

We  are  all  apt  to  imagine  that  what  costs  us 
trouble  must  be  of  value  ;  yet  there  is  much  need 
of  discretion  both  in  the  choice  and  manner  of  our 
acquirements.  In  both,  utility  should  always  be  a 
question  ; — not  the  mere  sordid  utility  which  has  a 
reference  only  to  secular  profit,  and  which,  even  with 
Regard  to  science,  is  by  no  means  the  exclusive  or 
primary  object ;  but  utility  as  it  affects  the  mind. 
History,  for  instance,  with  all  its  accompanying 
branches,  is  in  this  view  a  suitable  and  most  im¬ 
proving  study.  But  then  history,  to  be  useful,  must 
be  digested.  We  may  sleep  through  Bollin  and 
Hume,  and  be  really  little  wiser  than  if  we  had  read 
only  the  newspaper. 

Not  unfrequently,  too,  are  we  wrong  in  our  esti¬ 
mate  of  acquirements.  We  value  them  by  their 
rarity ;  and  are  apt  to  neglect  what  is  essential  be¬ 
cause  it  is  easy,  for  the  sake  of  what  is  difficult 
because  it  is  uncommon. 

A  young  woman,  for  example,  will  attempt  Dante 
who  cannot  construe  Metastasio,  and,  what  is  fai 
worse,  will  puzzle  herself  with  German  inflections 
before  she  is  familiar  with  Lindley  Murray.  We 
nave  heard  of  a  lady  who,  when  at  a  loss  how  to 


LETTERS  TO  WOMAN. 


29 


spell  a  word,  put  a  dash  under  the  questionable  let¬ 
ters,  that  if  wrong  it  might  pass  for  a  joke.  Modern 
education  ought  to  prevent  the  necessity  of  such  ex¬ 
pedients.  But  even  when  women  are  adepts  in 
orthography,  they  are  not  always  so  in  syntax  and 
punctuation  ;  though  they  may  affect  to  be  linguists, 
it  by  no  means  follows  that  they  are  good  English 
scholars. 

it  is  very  important,  not  only  that  the  mind  should 
be  well  informed,  but  that  there  should  be  a  taste 
for  knowledge  ;  which  should  be  appreciated  for  its 
own  sake,  not  merely  as  a  distinction.  The  su¬ 
periority  of  really  cultivated  women  is,  in  every 
thing,  very  apparent.  They  have  been  accustomed 
to  think  and  to  discriminate,  and  their  opinion  is 
not  a  mere  momentary  impulse.  Their  sphere,  too, 
is  enlarged, — they  are  not  so  much  actuated  by  sel¬ 
fish  feelings,  or  so  liable  to  receive  partial,  and  con¬ 
sequently  erroneous,  impressions.  They  view  every 
subject  more  calmly,  and  decide  more  dispassionately, 
and  are  generally  more  correct  in  their  own  senti¬ 
ments,  and  more  liberal  to  those  of  others. 

It  is  mediocrity  that  is  intolerant  and  opinion- 
ative.  A  woman  who,  without  reflection,  takes  up 
the  views  of  others,  is  peculiarly  accessible  to  party 
spirit.  And  this  is  one  reason  why  women  in 
general  are  more  zealous  partisans  than  the  other 
sex  ;  their  minds  are  more  contracted,  their  know¬ 
ledge  more  confined,  and  their  prejudices  stronger. 
We  can  quite  understand  the  strictures  of  Addison 
3* 


30 


THE  VALUE  OF 


on  the  female  sectarists  of  his  day ;  for,  though  we 
have  no  patches  now  to  mark  our  distinctions,  the 
spirit  of  party  is  equally  exclusive. 

As  a  corrective  to  this,  as  well  as  a  preservative 
from  error,  knowledge  is  very  useful,  and  in  this 
view,  perhaps,  almost  as  much  so  to  women  as  to 
men ;  especially  now,  in  these  days  of  progress, 
when  every  class  should  be  prepared  for  its  advance, 
and  when  even  the  female  mind  should  be  strength¬ 
ened  for  the  increase  of  light.  What  an  easy  dupe 
to  empiricism  or  design  is  a  half-educated  woman. 
With  sufficient  acquirement  to  be  vain  and  sufficient 
sensibility  to  be  soon  imposed  on,  she  may  be  easily 
seduced  from  principles  which  she  has  received  only 
on  the  authority  of  others,  and  which  she  is  there¬ 
fore  ill  prepared  to  defend.  It  was  want  of  know¬ 
ledge  of  which  the  priest  of  Rome  availed  himself 
when  he  assailed  the  female  devotee  with  all  the 
appliances  of  his  superstition,  and  prevailed  on  her 
to  forsake  real  duties  for  the  quietism  and  asceticism 
of  the  convent.  It  is  want  of  knowledge  of  which 
the  modem  heretic  equally  makes  use  when  he  too 
“  leads  captive  silly  women,”  and  finds  none  so 
accessible  to  his  influence  as  the  weak,  the  sensitive, 
and  the  unenlightened.  It  is  on  this  account  that 
knowledge  is  so  valuable  an  accompaniment  to 
religion ;  for  piety  may  be  msiguided,  though  it 
cannot  be  excessive ;  and  the  female  mind,  consti¬ 
tutionally  less  stable  that  that  of  man,  needs  espe¬ 
cially  the  ballast  of  sound  information  and  good 


LETTERS  TO  WOMAN. 


31 


sense.  It  is  apt  to  pursue  opinions  to  extremes,  and 
to  allow  too  much  to  its  favorite  bias ;  and  on  this 
account  an  accurate  acquaintance  with  truth  of 
every  kind  is  the  more  essential.  And  besides  the 
individual  benefit  which  accrues  from  such  know¬ 
ledge,  no  character  commands  more  respect  than  that 
of  the  religious  and  cultivated  woman ;  while  it  is  to 
the  credit  of  the  sex  that  letters  and  religion  have 
often  been  associated.  We  dwell  with  pleasure  on 
the  piety  of  Lady  Jane  Grey,  if  that  of  Elizabeth  be 
questionable.  And  we  may  surely  hope  that  she* 
who,  when  copies  of  the  Scriptures  were  still  scarce, 
presented  the  Hebrew  Pentateuch  to  a  scholar  too 
poor  to  buy  one,  could  herself  appreciate  the  sacred 
gift.  Neither  can  we  forget  more  recent  examples. 
The  names  of  Hutchinson  and  Russell,  of  Rowe, 
Chapone,  and  Smith,  of  the  amiable  authoress  of 
Father  Clement,  and  of  our  own  revered  Hannah 
More,  are  together  treasured  in  our  minds  as  happy 
instances  of  the  union  of  female  piety  and  accom¬ 
plishment. 

We  cannot,  indeed,  for  a  moment  question  the 
advantage  of  letters  to  a  religious  woman.  They 
afford  her  occupation,  refresh  her  mind,  and  increase 
her  power  of  usefulness.  Religion  itself  is  an  in¬ 
tellectual  as  well  as  spiritual  exercise  ;  and  its  doc¬ 
trines,  though  level  to  ordinary  capacities,  involve 

*  Charity,  a  sister  of  Pirckheimerus.  to  whom  he  dedi¬ 
cated  some  of  his  most  learned  works. 


32 


THE  VALUE  OF 


the  highest  speculations.  They  inform  and  disci* 
pline-,  as  well  as  spiritualize  the  mind  ;  and  it  is 
delightful  to  observe  the  intelligence  of  many  who 
have  no  other  teacher. 

Neither  can  we  suppose  that  men  are  altogether 
averse  to  female  literature.  They  would  not,  espe¬ 
cially  when  they  are  themselves  superior,  wish  to 
encounter,  even  in  a  female  companion,  the  con¬ 
tractedness  of  ignorance,  or  the  ineptitude  of  folly. 
They  can  have  little  pleasure  in  associating  with 
those  whose  only  conversation  is  medisance  or  gossip. 

Rather  would  they  desire  to  meet  in  a  domestic 
circle  a  companion  who  could  sympathize,  if  not  par¬ 
ticipate,  in  their  higher  pursuits  ;  who  could  appre¬ 
ciate  literary  excellence,  and  taste  intellectual  pleas¬ 
ure,  and  to  whom  knowledge  had  given  elevation 
and  refinement. 

Nor  would  her  accomplishments,  in  any  degree, 
indispose  her  for  active  domestic  duties.  Order  is 
the  symptom  of  a  well-regulated  mind  ;  and  the 
woman  who  has  felt  the  importance  of  interior  ar¬ 
rangement  will  scarcely  be  indifferent  to  her  house¬ 
hold  economy.  And  if  experience  has  ever  seemed 
to  militate  against  this  conclusion,  the  exceptions 
may  be  attributable  to  nature  rather  than  education ; 
and  have  probably  proceeded  from  a  constitutional 
defect,  which  intellectual  discipline  may  have  in 
some  degree  amended,  but  which  it  has  not  been 
able  altogether  to  correct.  Disorder  is  the  accident, 
not  the  consequence,  of  talent ;  and  as  it  is  the  more 


LETTERS  TO  WOMAN. 


33 


conspicuous,  so  is  it  the  less  excused,  when  accom¬ 
panied  with  mental  superiority.  The  irregularities 
which  proceed  from  indolence  or  frivolity  receive  far 
more  indulgence. 

Censorship  is,  indeed,  always  severe  on  female 
talent,  and  not  unfrequently  is  a  woman  prejudged 
a  slattern  because  reputed  a  genius.  Slovenly 
attire,  an  ill-conducted  household,  and  an  ill-arranged 
table,  are  in  the  minds  of  many  identified  with  fe¬ 
male  acquirement.  Yet  lighter  accomplishments 
may  be  the  more  likely  cause  of  such  disorder  ;  and 
she  who  has  spent  her  life  at  her  harp,  or  at  her 
frame,  will  be  less  disposed  to  active  duties  than  one 
to  whom  exertion  is  habitual.  If  the  woman  of 
mind*  bears  with  equanimity  petty  vexations,  if  she 
lends  a  reluctant  ear  to  family  tales,  if  she  is  no* 
always  expatiating  on  her  economy,  nor  entertaining 
by  a  discussion  of  domestic  annoyances  ;  she  is  not 
the  less  capable  of  controlling  her  household,  or  of 
maintaining  order  in  its  several  departments.  Rather 
will  she  occupy  her  station  with  more  dignity,  and 
fulfil  its  duties  with  greater  ease. 

At  the  same  time  she  should  ever  bear  in  mind, 
that  knowledge  is  not  to  elevate  her  above  her  sta¬ 


tion,  or  to  excuse  her  from  the  discharge  of  its  most 

trifling  duties.  It  is  to  correct  vanity  and  repress 

pretension.  It  is  to  teach  her  to  know  her  place  and 

her  functions ;  to  make  her  content  with  the  one, 

and  willing  to  fulfil  the  other.  It  is  to  render  her 

more  useful,  more  humble,  and  more  happy. 

0 


34  THE  VALUE  OF  LETTERS  TC  WOMAN. 

And  surely  such  a  woman  will  be,  of  all  others, 
the  best  satisfied  with  her  lot.  She  will  not  seek 
distinction,  and  therefore  will  not  meet  with  disap¬ 
pointment.  She  will  not  be  dependent  on  the  world, 
and  thus  she  will  avoid  its  vexations.  She  will  be 
liable  to  neither  restlessness  nor  ennui ;  but  she  will 
be  happy  in  her  own  home,  and  by  her  own  hearth, 
in  the  fulfilment  of  religious  and  domestic  duty,  and 
in  the  profitable  employment  of  her  time. 


i 


i 


IMPORTANCE  OF  RELIGION  TO  WOMAN. 


Religion  has  been  sometimes  decried  as  the  passion 
of  weak  men,  women,  and  children.  Woman  may 
blush  for  the  association  which  the  ridicule  involves, 
but  she  has  no  reason  to  be  ashamed  of  her  pro¬ 
pensity.  May  it  ever  be  her  distinction.  It  is  the 
pearl  which  adorns  as  well  as  enriches. 

To  say  that  she  is  more  religious  than  the  other 
sex  seems,  indeed,  to  imply  a  reflection  on  the  lat¬ 
ter  ;  yet,  if  the  fact  be  true,  it  is  no  more  than  might 
be  expected.  The  position  and  habits-of  woman  are 
comparatively  favorable  to  piety.  She  needs  solace 
and  occupation,  and  religion  affords  her  both.  With¬ 
out  it  her  character  is  sadly  defective,  even  in  the 
eyes  of  ordinary  persons.  A  woman  may  as  well 
be  without  heart  as  without  religion  ;  and  few  men, 
however  irreligious  themselves,  but  would  shrink 
from  impiety  in  her.  It  involves  a  coldness  and 
hardness  of  character  offensive  both  to  taste  and 

/  f 

feeling.  Even  when  infidelity  was  more  in  vogue 
than  it  is  at  present,  when  it  had  almost  monopolised 
talent  and  identified  itself  with  enlightened  senti¬ 
ment,  the  few  women  who  volunteered  under  its 
banner  were  treated  with  the  contempt  they  de- 


36 


IMPORTANCE  OF 


served.  The  female  Quixote  broke  her  lance  in 
vindicating  the  “  Rights  of  Women,”  and  no  one 
sympathized  in  her  defeat. 

The  mere  suspicion  of  irreligion  lowers  a  woman 
in  general  esteem.  It  implies  almost  a  reflection  on 
her  character,  for  morality  cannot  be  secure  without 
religion.  A  woman  must  hold  no  converse  with  the 
enemies  of  either.  She  knows  that  the  romance 
which  invests  impiety  with  the  charm  of  sentiment 
must  not  lie  upon  her  table,  nor  must  she  be  sup¬ 
posed  to  be  acquainted  with  the  poem  which  decks 
out  vice  with  the  witchery  of  song. 

Religion  is  indeed  a  woman’s  panoply,  and  no 
one  who  wishes  her  happiness  would  divest  her  of 
it ;  no  one  who  appreciates  her  virtues  would  weak¬ 
en  their  best  security. 

There  is  nothing  so  adapted  to  her  wants  as  re¬ 
ligion.  Woman  has  many  trials,  and  she  therefore 
peculiarly  needs  support ;  religion  is  her  asylum, 
not  only  in  heavy  afflictions,  but  in  petty  dis¬ 
quietudes.  These,  as  they  are  more  frequent,  are 
perhaps  almost  as  harassing ;  at  least  they  equally 
need  a  sedative  influence,  and  religion  is  the  ano¬ 
dyne.  For  it  is  religion  which,  by  placing  before 
her  a  better  and  more  enduring  happiness  than  this 
world  can  offer,  reconciles  her  to  temporary  priva¬ 
tions  ;  and  by  acquainting  her  with  the  love  of  God, 
leads  her  to  rest  securely  upon  his  Providence  in 
present  disappointment.  It  inspires  her  with  that 


RELIGION  TO  WOMAN. 


37 


true  content  which  not  only  endures  distress,  but  is 
cheerful  under  it. 

Resignation  is  not,  as  we  are  too  apt  to  portray 
her,  beauty  bowered  in  willows,  and  bending  over  a 
sepulchral  urn ;  neither  is  she  a  tragic  queen,  pa¬ 
thetic  only  in  her  weeds.  She  is  an  active,  as  well 
as  passive,  virtue ;  an  habitual,  not  an  occasional, 
sentiment.  She  should  be  as  familiar  to  woman  as 
her  daily  cross ;  for  acquiescence  in  the  detail  of 
Providence  is  as  much  a  duty  as  submission  to  its 
result ;  and  equanimity  amid  domestic  irritations 
equally  implies  religious  principle  as  fortitude  under 
severer  trials.  It  was  the  remark  of  one  who  cer¬ 
tainly  was  not  disposed  to  care  for  trifles,  that  “  it 
required  as  much  grace  to  bear  the  breaking  of  a 
china  cup  as  any  of  the  graver  distresses  of  life.” 

Minor  cares  are  indeed  the  province  of  woman  ; 
minor  annoyances  her  burden.  Dullness,  bad  tem¬ 
per,  mal-adroitness,  are  to  her  the  cause  of  a  thou¬ 
sand  petty  rubs,  which  too  often  spoil  the  euphony 
of  a  silver  voice,  and  discompose  the  symmetry  of 
fairy  features.  But  the  confidence  which  reposes  on 
divine  affection,  and  the  charity  which  covers  human 
frailty,  are  the  only  specifics  for  impatience.  These, 
more  than  the  choicest  cosmetics,  secure  permanence 
to  beauty,  and  render  it  more  truly  irresistible  than 
any  extrinsic  decoration. 

And  if  religion  is  such  a  blessing  in  the  ordinary 
trials  of  life,  what  a  soothing  balm  is  it  in  graver 

From  these  woman  is  by  no  means 

4 


sorrows. 


38 


IMPORTANCE  OF 


exempt ;  on  the  contrary,  as  her  susceptibility  is 
great,  afflictions  press  on  her  with  peculiar  heavi¬ 
ness.  There  is  sometimes  a  stillness  in  her  grief 
which  argues  only  its  intensity,  and  it  is  this  rank¬ 
ling  wound  which  piety  alone  can  heal.  Nothing, 
perhaps,  is  more  affecting  than  woman’s  chastened 
sorrow.  Her  ties  may  be  severed,  her  fond  hopes 
withered,  her  young  affections  blighted,  yet  peace 
may  be  in  her  breast,  and  heaven  in  her  eye.  If  the 
business  and  turmoil  of  life  brush  away  the  tears  of 
manly  sorrow,  and  scarcely  leave  time  for  the  indul¬ 
gence  even  of  sympathy  ;  woman  gathers  strength 
in  her  solitary  chamber  to  encounter  and  to  subdue 
her  grief.  There  she  learns  to  look  her  sorrow  in 
the  face ;  there  she  becomes  familiar  with  its  fea¬ 
tures  ;  there  she  communes  with  it,  as  with  a  ce¬ 
lestial  messenger ;  till  at  length  she  can  almost 
welcome  its  presence,  and  hail  it  as  the  harbinger, 
of  a  brighter  world. 

Religion,  too,  is  the  source,  of  all  her  virtues.  It 
inspires  the  minor  as  well  as  the  more  important 
graces.  It  teaches,  for  instance,  affability;  and 
though  some  seem  scarcely  to  think  it  worth  their 
while  to  cultivate  politeness,  yet  courtesy  is  always 
appreciated,  and  is  sure  to  make  a  woman  liked. 
Not,  indeed,  the  mere  tinsel  of  profession,  the  un¬ 
meaning  commonplaces  of  modish  hypocrisy;  but 
the  overflowing  of  a  benevolent  heart,  the  expression 
of  Christian  sentiment,  than  which  nothing  is  in 
reality  more  prepossessing.  Politeness,  indeed, 


RELIGION  TO  WOMAN. 


39 


argues  a  wish  to  please,  and  an  interest  in  the  wel¬ 
fare  of  others  ;  and  there  are  few  who  are  not  grate¬ 
ful  for  this  easy  and  kind  attention. 

Piety  is  so  congenial  to  woman,  that  even  in 
circles  the  least  disposed  to  it  some  profession  of  it, 
in  her,  is  a  matter  of  course.  Men  are  often  reli¬ 
gious  by  proxy  :  they  reverse  their  ordinary  privilege, 
and  commit  to  female  representatives  their  business 
in  the  house  of  God.  Or,  if  they  appear  on  ordinary 
occasions,  it  is  too  often  matter  for  regret,  that,  in 
what  seems  to  them  a  more  serious  service,  they 
imagine  themselves  free  to  leave  the  church,  whilst 
women  are  expected  to  kneel  at  the  table. 

Yet  even  all  this  proves  the  universal  impression 
in  favor  of  female  piety ;  and  it  is  as  congenial  to 
the  pursuits  of  woman  as  to  her  character.  It  gives 
interest  to  her  duties,  and  solace  to  her  retirement. 
To  the  first,  indeed,  it  is  essential,  for  the  self-denial 
which  they  involve  must  have  its  source  in  religion. 
Like  all  virtues,  though  they  entail  happiness,  they 
require  sacrifices.  They  imply  effort,  and  precisely 
that  effort  which  proceeds  only  from  principle.  Their 
fulfilment  brings  no  distinction ;  it  sometimes  even 
interferes  with  it.  A  domestic  woman  will  perhaps 
be  little  admired,  or,  at  any  rate,  little  talked  of. 
She  will  be  less  brilliant,  less  fashionable,  less  talked 
of,  than  one  less  exemplary  at  home.  She  will  be 
neither  the  leader  of  the  ton  at  Almack’s,  nor  a  rival 
queen  at  the  court  of  fashion.  She  will  be  neither 
a  Helen  nor  a  Dido. 


40 


IMPORTANCE  OF 


But  she  will  be  contented.  And  she  will  owe  her 
contentment  to  religion ;  For  it  is  this  alone  which 
will  compose  and  satisfy  her  mind.  Mediocrity 
may,  indeed,  willingly  take  refuge  in  quiet  life,  and 
forego  that  which  brought  only  disappointment ;  hut 
there  needs  some  potent  influence  to  withdraw  beauty 
from  the  scene  of  her  homage,  or  talent  from  that 
of  her  display.  There  needs  some  sentiment  more 
intense  than  the  first  flush  of  passion,  more  satisfying 
than  the  triumph  of  a  successful  flirtation,  more  per¬ 
manent  than  the  consciousness  of  a  new  station  and 
dignity,  to  make  the  young  aspirant  content  with 
home.  She  will,  perhaps,  feed  for  a  while  on  the 
romance  of  love,  and  be  pleased  for  a  while  with  its 
syren  fascination,  and  indulge  for  a  while  in  the 
listlessness  of  sentimental  enjoyments ;  but  when 
she  ceases  to  be  idolized,  when  her  nuptial  wardrobe 
becomes  obsolete,  when  ennui  succeeds  to  excite¬ 
ment,  then  does  she  naturally  seek  some  new  im¬ 
pulse  to  relieve  the  monotony  of  domestic  life.  She 
may  have  talked  of  love  in  a  cottage,  but  the  rustic 
shed  was  lit  up  with  the  radiance  of  the  drawing¬ 
room  ;  she  may  have  rhapsodized  about  sentiment 
in  solitude,  but  the  wilderness  was  peopled  with 
the  fairy  forms  of  the  brilliant  assembly. 

It  is  religion  alone  which  can  furnish  such  a  one 
with  solace  and  incentive.  Nothing  else  can  satisfy 
her  heart.  Not,  indeed,  a  mere  formal  service,  a 
dull  routine  of  superstitious  observance,  resorted  to 
at  seasons,  as  the  confessional  or  the  penance ;  but 


RELIGIO  N  TO  WOMAN. 


41 


a  sentiment  full  of  chastened  fervor  and  pure  affec¬ 
tion  ;  a  sentiment  which  itself  compensates  for  the 
sacrifices  it  requires,  and  substitutes  a  real  and  per¬ 
manent  interest  for  the  irregular  excitement  of  the 

world. 

Christian  ethics  are  the  only  true  morality ;  for 
they  are  the  only  morality  which  is  both  universal 
and  minute.  They  are  not  a  code,  but  a  charter ; 
not  an  institute,  but  a  principle.  They  give  to 
woman  precisely  that  dignity  which  is  consistent 
with  her  dependence  ;  a  dignity  not  of  station,  but 
of  feeling ;  which  makes  her  morally  great,  but 
practically  subordinate. 

All  that  the  world  can  offer  her  is,  in  fact,  of  little 
value.  Neither  the  blaze  of  rank,  the  triumph  of 
coquetry,  nor  the  distinction  of  beauty  or  fashion, 
can  really  elevate  her.  They  may  all  impart  a  mock 
lustre,  but  confer  no  true  dignity. 

Religion  is  her  only  elevating  principle.  It  iden¬ 
tifies  itself  with  the  movements  of  her  heart,  and 
with  the  actions  of  herlife,  spiritualizing  the  one  and 
ennobling  the  other.  Duties,  however  subordinate, 
are  to  the  religious  woman  never  degrading ;  their 
principle  is  their  apology.  She  does  not  live  amidst 
the  clouds,  or  abandon  herself  to  mystic  excitement  : 
she  is  raised  above  the  sordidness,  but  not  above  the 
concerns  of  earth  ;  above  its  disquietudes,  but  not 
above  its  cares. 

Religion  is  just  what  woman  needs.  Without  it 

she  is  ever  restless  or  unhappy,  ever  wishing  to  be 

4* 


42 


IMPORTANCE  OF 


relieved  from  duty  or  from  time.  She  is  either  am¬ 
bitious  of  display,  or  greedy  of  pleasure,  or  sinks  into 
a  listless  apathy,  useless  to  others,  and  unworthy  of 
herself.  But  when  the  light  from  heaven  shines 
upon  her  path,  it  invests  every  object  with  a  reflected 
radiance.  Duties,  occupations,  nay  even  trials,  are 
seen  through  a  bright  medium ;  and  the  sunshine 
which  gilds  her  course  on  earth  is  but  the  dawning 
of  a  far  clearer  day. 

And  if  pain,  rather  than  toil,  be  her  penalty  ;  if 
an  exemption  from  bodily  labor  be  more  than  coun¬ 
terbalanced  by  bodily  weakness,  it  is  piety  alone 
which  can  lighten  such  a  cross.  This  only  can  in¬ 
spire  that  passive  fortitude  which,  to  her,  is  more 
essential  than  active  strength.  And,  surely,  religion 
never  seems  more  lovely,  or  is  more  truly  sublime, 
than  when  she  stifles  the  cry  of  pain,  and  wipes  the 
drops  of  anguish  from  the  sufferer’s  brow ;  when  she 
imparts  a  martyr’s  courage  to  the  gentlest  spirit, — 
when  she  teaches  woman  in  the  stillness  of  a  sick 
chamber  to  bow  her  head  in  patient  resignation,  and 
to  endure  her  trial  with  Christian  fortitude  and  faith. 

A  woman’s  virtues  must  be  genuine.  They  are 
to  expand,  not  in  the  sunshine,  but  in  the  shade  ; 
and,  therefore,  they  need  some  vital  principle  to  sup¬ 
ply  the  place  of  foreign  excitement.  Religion  is  this 
influence, — this  germ  of  every  grace,  this  sap  which 
finds  its  way  through  every  fibre,  and  emits  the  fair¬ 
est  blossoms  without  the  aid  of  artificial  heat. 

The  pious  woman  courts  retirement.  She  seeks 


RELIGION  TO  WOMAN. 


43 


not  the  inertness  of  quietism,  but  the  calmness  and 
regularity  of  domestic  duty.  And  though  she  may 
sometimes  be  called  to  less  congenial  scenes, — and 
she  will  neither  refuse  the  summons  nor  show  a 
peevish  reluctance  to  obey  it, — yet  her  taste  is  home , 
fcr  there  she  feels  she  is  most  useful,  most  happy, 
and  has  most  communion  with  her  God. 

And  it  is  the  domesticating  tendency  of  religion 
that  especially  prepossesses  men  in  its  favor,  and 
makes  them,  even  if  indifferent  to  it  themselves,  de¬ 
sire  it,  at  least,  in  their  nearest  female  connections. 
They  can  securely  confide  in  one  who  is  under  its 
sober  influence,  and  whose  duties  and  pleasures  lie 
within  the  same  sphere.  They  feel  no  jealousy  of  a 
sentiment  which,  however  intense,  interferes  with  no 
legitimate  affection;  but  which  makes  a  woman 
more  tender,  more  considerate,  and  more  sympathiz¬ 
ing,  than  the  most  ardent  passion  of  romance  would 
do,  or  the  most  studied  polish  of  the  world. 

But  her  piety  must  be  sterling.  It  must  be  no 
latent  form  of  a  still  restless  ambition,  that  has  ex¬ 
changed  the  glitter  of  fashion  for  the  tinsel  of  pro¬ 
fession,  that  still  finds  its  pleasure  in  a  crowd,  and, 
weary  of  the  turmoil  of  the  world,  seeks  some  new 
and  more  exciting  stimulus.  This  may  indeed  pass 
current  for  piety ;  and  as  it  borrows  from  religion 
its  lustre,  so  does  it  often  recompense  it  with  the 
tarnish  of  its  faults.  But  that  sentiment  is  ever  sus¬ 
picious  that  leads  woman  from  home  rather  than  to 
it,  that  prefers  extraneous  to  domestic  duty,  that  takes 


44 


IMPORTANCE  OF 


her  to  the  conversazione  rather  than  to  her  chamber, 
to  her  confidant  rather  than  to  God. 

Or.  the  contrary,  what  more  beautiful  picture  is 
there  than  that  of  the  religious  and  .retiring  woman, 
who  is  struggling,  perhaps,  with  domestic  trial,  and 
standing,  perhaps,  alone  in  sentiment  and  in  duty  ? 
Her  path  is  one  of  difficulty,  but  she  neither  makes 
her  trials  a  theme  of  gossiping  complaints,  nor  avails 
herself  of  the  faults  of  others  to  excite  pity  for  her¬ 
self.  And  if  want  of  congeniality  in  those  most  near 
to  her  is  her  sore  burden,  if  even  opposition  is  the 
appointed  exercise  of  her  faith,  she  neither  seeks 
notoriety  by  the  cry  of  persecution,  nor  looks  to  the 
applause  of  others  as  a  compensation  for  her  trials 
at  home. 

It  is  thought  very  wrong,  even  by  ordinary  per¬ 
sons,  to  carry  domestic  secrets  beyond  our  own  walls, 
or  to  discuss  the  faults  of  our  near  relations  with 
those  who  are  comparatively  indifferent.  How  much 
more  tender  should  be  the  delicacy  of  a  Christian. 
For,  if  nothing  exasperates  so  much  as  the  suspicion 
of  a  confidant,  surely  that  impatience  is,  to  say  the 
least,  most  unwise  which  flies  to  a  stranger  for  relief, 
and  pours  forth  on  the  unwilling  ear  what  ought  to 
be  strictly  secret.  It  is  a  pity,  in  such  a  case,  that 
decency  does  not  impose  reserve ;  that  the  com¬ 
plainant  does  not  feel  so  identified  with  the  faults 
she  deplores  as  to  shrink  from  their  exposure ;  that 
her  interest  and  affection  do  not  so  far  prevail  over 


RELIGION  TO  WOMAN. 


45 


her  confiding  propensity  as  to  make  her  keep  her 
grievance  to  herself. 

How  much  more  Christian  is  the  course  of  un¬ 
complaining  meekness.  True,  this  awakens  little 
interest ;  it  encourages  no  meddling  interference,  it 
a§ks  for  no  human  sympathy.  Perhaps,  even,  it 
may  be  mistaken  by  some  for  compliance  or  com¬ 
promise.  But  how  great  is  its  reward. 

For  if  there  be  a  recompense  to  consistency  on 
earth,  and  a  happy  moment  to  the  still -struggling 
Christian,  it  is  when  piety  receives  the  accomplish¬ 
ment  of  its  wishes, — when  the  indulgence  that  has 
excused  faults,  the  delicacy  that  has  forborne  com¬ 
plaint,  and  the  kindness  that  has  concealed  infirmities, 

4  *  i 

are  at  length  appreciated ;  when  these  reiterated 
acts,  which  have  long  been  treasured  up  in  grateful 
recollection,  are  ascribed  to  their  own  pure  principle ; 
and  when  this  principle  is  recognised  as  the  one 
only  source  of  virtue  and  of  peace. 

It  is  then,  even  in  this  world,  that  the  secret  prayer 
is  answered,  and  the  secret  tears  are  wiped  away. 


CHRISTIANITY  THE  SOURCE  OF  FEMALE  EXCELLENCE. 


It  is  usual  to  estimate  principles  by  their  apparent 
results,  which  may  be  naturally  viewed  as  no  unfair 
criteria.  It  is,  however,  a  mistake  to  suppose  that 
these  are  the  only  certain  tests  ;  for  in  matters  which 
involve  human  conduct  there  is  so  much  that  impedes 
the  genuine  operation  of  principles,  that  we  may,  not 
unfrequently,  form  a  totally  wrong  estimate,  by 
merely  observing  the  actions  of  those  who  profess  to 
be,  and  even  are,  in  some  measure,  under  their 
influence. 

Christianity  has  suffered  from  this  superficial  view. 
The  infidel  points  to  the  divisions,  the  wars,  the 
persecutions,  that  have  found  their  pretext  in  sec¬ 
tarian  zeal ;  and  argues  the  fallacy  of  the  system 
from  the  consequences  he  imputes  to  it.  The  care¬ 
less,  irreligious  person  marks  with  a  jealous  eye  the 
inconsistencies,  errors,  and  mistakes  of  those  whom 
he  regards  as  pre-eminently  pious ;  and  concludes  in 
favor  of  his  own  mere  moral  code,  because  he  detects 
failures  in  persons  who  are  actuated  by  higher 
motives. 

This  should,  of  course,  serve  as  a  stimulus  to 


CHRISTIANITY  THE  SOURCE,  ETC. 


47 


Christians,  since  they  are  thus  regarded  as  the 
representatives  of  their  faith ;  but,  whilst  it  does  so, 
we  must  beware  of  allowing  the  partial  reasoning, 
which  would  judge  of  a  system  merely  by  the  deport¬ 
ment  of  some  who  profess  to  be  its  disciples.  To 
form  a  correct  estimate  of  the  value  of  our  religion, 
we  must  examine  its  doctrines  as  well  as  their  occa¬ 
sional  effects  on  individual  conduct ;  and  not  imagine 
ourselves  acquainted  with  its  real  features  from  the 
imperfect  reflection  which  a  faulty  mirror  may 
present. 

Perhaps  there  is  nothing  that  affords  a  more  satis¬ 
factory  internal  evidence  of  the  truth  of  Christianity 
than  the  practical  tendency  of  its  most  important 
doctrines.  It  is  not  merely  that  it  contains  the  most 
perfect  moral  code  that  ever  was  given  to  man ;  it  is 
not  merely  that  its  commands  apply  to  every  age 
and  station, — that  the  parent  and  the  child,  the  mas¬ 
ter  and  the  servant,  the  husband  and  the  wife,  the 
king  and  the  subject,  are  told  by  it  how  they  may 
best  promote  each  other’s  happiness  and  fulfil  their 
mutual  relations ;  nor  is  it  merely  that  it  inculcates 
every  grace  from  the  sublimest  act  of  self-denial  to 
the  minutest  attention  of  courtesy ;  but  it  is  because 
its  truths  involve  the  virtues  which  its  precepts 
enjoin, — and  in  proportion  as  the  former  are  received 
the  latter  are  loved  and  regarded, — that  we  recog¬ 
nise  in  it  the  stamp  of  Infinite  Wisdom.  And  if 
human  imperfection  never  attains  to  the  standard  of 


48 


CHRISTIANITY  THE  SOURCE  OF 


divine  morality,  the  fault  lies  in  the  disciple,  not  in 
the  doctrine,  in  the  subject,  not  in  the  influence. 

The  heart,  we  all  know,  is  the  main-spring  of 
conduct ;  and  though,  in  spiritual  ethics, '  we  are 
sometimes  reluctant  to  allow  its  paramount  impor¬ 
tance,  there  are  none  who,  in  ordinary  matters,  do 
not  assume  that  outward  actions  are,  for  the  most 
part,  the  result  of  its  impulses.  In  education,  espe¬ 
cially,  the  slightest  experience  teaches  us  that  the 
heart  of  the  child  is  the  material,  on  the  right  mould¬ 
ing  of  which  depends,  in  great  measure,  the  future 
character ;  and  even  those  teachers  who  are  unwil¬ 
ling  to  avail  themselves  of  Christian  motives  are  not 
the  less  sensible  of  the  necessity  of  regulating  and 
influencing  the  feelings.  The  issuing  of  mandates 
will  do  but  little,  the  appeal  to  reason  is  not  enough ; 
there  must  be  something  to  warm  the  infant  heart, 
and  to  inspire  it  with  pure  and  disinterested  motives. 

Christianity  is  the  work  of  Omniscience.  He  who 
so  orders  the  machinery  of  the  material  creation, 
that  that  law  which  maintains  the  stars  in  their 
courses  regulates  the  falling  of  an  atom,  has  displayed 
the  same  adapting  wisdom  in  his  moral  government. 
The  religion  which  bears  the  impress  of  his  authority, 
and  of  which  He  is  the  immediate  source,  is  equally 
universal  and  equally  efficient  in  its  operation  with 
the  great  principle  of  the  natural  world.  The  individ¬ 
ual  application  of  Christianity,  indeed,  to  the  heart,  is, 
in  each  instance,  a  special  act  of  the  divine  will  and 
goodness ;  but  in  its  nature,  in  the  way  in  which  it 


FEMALE  EXCELLENCE.  *  4& 

.  ' 

finds  access,  and  in  its.  practical  tendency,  it  is  suited, 

in  a  peculiar  manner,  to  every  rational  being. 

And  it  is  this  which  constitutes  its  value.  Whilst 
it  operates  upon  feelings  which  are  common  to  all, 
it  does  so  in  a  manner  the  best  calculated  to  promote 
the  happiness  and  improvement  of  each.  It  fur¬ 
nishes  each  with  individual  consolation,  with  motives 
for  individual  duty ;  and,  by  its  influence  on  the 
heart,  even  when  the  express  precept  is  wanting,  it 
directs  the  individual  action. 

It  is  well  known  that  women  have  been  overlooked 
in  almost  every  humanly  devised  system  of  religion 
and  of  ethics.  The  manly  virtues  found  their  place 
in  the  tables  of  lawgivers,  and  were  discussed  in  the 
schools  of  philosophers  ;  but  the  graces  which  adorn 
the  female  character  were  not  thought  worthy  the 
attention  of  the  nobler  sex.  And,  to  adduce  a  still 
more  striking  instance,  the  prophet  of  Mecca,  when 
he  denied  to  women  a  spiritual  existence,  did  but 
prepare  them  for  the  moral  degradation  to  which  it 
was  his  policy  that  they  should  be  perpetually  sub¬ 
jected. 

But  it  is  the  glory  of  Christianity  to  elevate  the 
weak  :  and  to  do  so  by  ennobling  their  virtues,  and 
giving  them  a  higher  stimulus.  Lowliness,  gentle¬ 
ness,  meekness,  have  an  honorable  place  in  the  Chris¬ 
tian  calendar  ;  and  these  graces,  so  especially  appro¬ 
priate  to  women,  are  the  peculiar  and  exclusive 
products  of  the  Christian  soil. 

In  estimating,  then,  the  value  of  religious  princi- 

5  d 


50 


CHRISTIANITY  THE  SOURCE.  OF 


pie  to  the  sex,  it  is  of  importance  that  we  should  be 
acquainted  with  its  nature ;  and  should  thus  be 
qualified  to  judge  of  its  probable  operations.  The 
mistake  of  many  lies  in  an  erroneous  conception  of 
what  Christianity  really  is.  Some  are  satisfied  with 
a  mere  profession,  others  with  a  party  name  ;  some 
again  identify  it  with  a  garb,  or  a  phrase,  or  a  cere¬ 
mony  ;  and  a  very  numerous  class  with  a  partial 
performance  of  duty,  and  a  decent  observance  of 
form.  No  wonder  that  these  several  persons  present 
results  unfavorable  to  religion ;  and  that,  instead  of 
impressing  us  with  the  beauty  of  holiness,  they  show 
themselves  to  be,  in  no  degree,  superior  to  others 
who  have  less  pretension.  For  they  misunderstand 
the  essence  of  their  religion ;  and  instead  of  receiv¬ 
ing  it  in  its  perfect  unity  and  symmetrical  propor¬ 
tion,  they  mutilate  and  spoil  what  is,  in  its  nature, 
incapable  of  being  divided. 

The  tendency  of  Christian  doctrine,  when,  through 
the  Divine  Spirit,  it  finds  access  to  the  heart,  is,  to  form 
the  character  of  women  as  well  as  men  according  to 
the  most  perfect  model ;  and  as  it  operates  in  the 
one  to  produce  strength,  and  courage,  and  true  great¬ 
ness  of  soul,  so  does  it  in  the  other  to  infuse  those 
lovely  and  feminine  graces  which  are  the  true  beauty 
of  the  sex.  In  its  leading  doctrines,  indeed,  one 
almost  feels  that  the  daughters  of  Eve  are  pre¬ 
eminently  regarded  ;  for  its  principles  are  so  pecu¬ 
liarly  calculated  to  affect  the  heart  of  woman,  and  to 
produce  in  her  what  is  Wely  and  of  good  report, 


FEMALE  EXCELLENCE. 


51 


that  we  cannot  but  recognise  in  their  appointment 
the  same  condescending  goodness  that  first  pitied 
and  blessed  the  mother  of  mankind,  and  raised  her 
from  the  depth  of  her  primeval  fall.  That  temper, 
for  instance,  which  is  the  first  genuine  fruit  of  di¬ 
vine  grace,  and  the  immediate  consequence  of  a 
belief  in  the  elements  of  the  Gospel,  is  the  most 
appropriate  to  female  character,  and  the  groundwork 
of  female  excellence.  Nothing  surely  can  tend  to 
infuse  genuine  humility  so  much  as  a  discovery  of 
the  secret  workings  of  the  human  heart,  and  a  com¬ 
parison  of  its  innate  and  acquired  evil  with  the  per¬ 
fect  purity  of  the  law  of  God. 

And  what  will  teach  us  this  but  Christianity? 
The  reflecting  mind,  indeed,  cannot  fail  of  detecting 
every  where  in  nature  something  that  is  wrong.  It 
will  see  vice  and  misery  in  the  world  around ;  it 
will  inquire  their  cause,  and  it  will  trace  their  seeds 
even  within  itself.  But  will  it  ever  humble  itself  on 
this  account, — will  it  ever  bend  in  self-abasement, 
and  mourn  in  the  ashes  of  a  sincere  repentance  ? 
Will  it  ever  even  understand  what  sin  is,  or  feel  its 
malignity  as  an  act  of  rebellion  against  God,  and  an 
offence  to  His  holiness  ?  Will  it  not,  rather,  when 
the  first  sentiment  of  melancholy  at  the  contem¬ 
plation  of  evil  has  worn  away,  congratulate  itself 
on  its  comparative  exemption  ;  and,  forgetting  its 
own  points  of  resemblance  to  what  is  so  mischievous 
and  hateful,  only  pride  itself  on  the  difference,  of 
which  natural  disposition,  education,  or  philosophy, 


52 


CHRISTIANITY  THE  SOURCE  OF 


or  a  freedom  from  temptation,  may  have  been  the 
cause  ? 

How  different  is  the  effect  which  a  reception  of 
Christian  doctrine  is  calculated  to  produce.  It  is 
not  merely  that  it  brings  thoughts  and  actions  to  the 
one  unerring  standard,  and  shows  the  imperfection 
of  human  attainment, — nor  is  it  merely  that  it  dis¬ 
plays  the  universality  of  the  evil  principle,  and  traces 
it  to  its  source  ;  but  it  melts  to  contrition  whilst  it 
humbles  to  abasement,  and  infuses  that  lowly  but 
confiding  spirit  which  weeps  for  its  own  unworthi¬ 
ness,  and  reposes  in  the  mercy  of  Heaven. 

And  what  must  be  the  tendency  of  such  a  princi¬ 
ple  ?  Not  surely  to  excite  spiritual  pride ;  to  render 
its  possessor  self-satisfied,  or  assuming ;  to  disqualify 
from  duty,  or  to  elevate  to  fanatical  excitement.  No. 
When  such  effects  are  seen,  they  are  not  chargeable 
on  true  religion,  they  are  not  the  result  of  evangelical 
doctrine  ;  they  are  melancholy  instances  of  the  power 
of  that  evil  cne,  whose  most  dangerous  form  is  that 
of  an  angel  of  light,  and  who  spreads  his  most  fatal 
lures  nearest  the  narrow  path  that  leads  to  the  eter¬ 
nal  city. 

Of  such  let  Christians,  and  especially  Christian 
women,  beware.  It  becomes  the  disclaimers  of 
merit  in  the  sight  of  God  to  let  their  humility,  like 
their  other  graces,  shine  before  men.  And  it  can¬ 
not  be  that  those  who  in  their  chamber  smite  upon 
their  breasts,  and  raise  the  cry  for  mercy,  and  con¬ 
fess  themselves  the  least  of  God’s  saints,  and  the 


FEMALE  EXCELLENCE. 


53 


lowest  of  His  servants,  should  rise  from  their  knees 
with  an  unhumbied  spirit,  and  display,  to  their 
fellow-creatures  and  fellow-Christians,  conduct  that 
discovers  more  of  vanity  and  exclusiveness  than  of 
meekness  and  charity.  At  least,  in  proportion  as 
tempers  so  opposite  to  Christianity  are  indulged, 
the  heart  is  yet  unsanctified,  or  the  tempter  prevails, 
or  the  old  leaven  predominates. 

None  are  more  prone  to  detect  a  want  of  humility 
in  social  relations,  than  those  who  are  themselves 
deficient  in  genuine  humility,  as  it  regards  their 
spiritual  concerns.  It  is  not  unfrequent  for  persons, 
naturally  amiable,  to  mistake  their  amiability  for  a 
Christian  attainment :  and  to  be  so  satisfied  with  the 
composure  of  their  tempers,  and  the  decent  and  even 
tenor  of  their  lives,  as  to  be  almost  ignorant  of  the 
wrong  bias  which  they  have  inherited,  and  insensible 
to  the  moral  taint  which  they  have  contracted. 
Self-examination  is,  with  them,  an  exercise  little 
thought  of,  and  still  less  understood  ;  and  the  con¬ 
fession  of  sinfulness,  periodically  in  their  mouths, 
has  become'  so  habitual,  that  it  conveys  no  precise 
meaning  as  it  passes  through  their  lips. 

There  is,  nevertheless,  sometimes  much  to  love, 
and  even  to  respect,  in  persons  of  this  class;  and 
those  who  are  better  instructed  should,  at  least,  treat 
them  with  tenderness,  and  should,  especially,  be¬ 
ware  of  giving  them  offence  ;  and,  whilst  they  en¬ 
deavor  to  rouse  them  from  their  indifference,  and 
enlighten  their  consciences,  and  convince  them  of 


54 


CHRISTIANITY  THE  SOURCE  OF 


their  deficiencies,  they  may  not  think  scorn  to  lean) 
from  their  quiet  and  amiable  deportment. 

Every  doctrine  of  Scripture  has  its  corresponding 
precept ;  and  as  humility  is  the  fruit  of  a  belief  in 
divine  truth,  so  is  it  especially  enjoined  by  the  high¬ 
est  authority.  And  there  is  no  more  beautiful  illus¬ 
tration  of  true  principle  than  the  humble  follower  of 
the  Redeemer, — the  female  disciple, — who,  exem¬ 
plary  in  duty,  and  unwearied  in  religious  service,  is 
yet  as  remarkable  for  gentleness  and  lowliness 
towards  her  fellow-creatures,  as  she  is  for  piety 
towards  her  God. 

Still,  if  there  be  one  feature  more  remarkable  than 
another  in  the  Christian  scheme,  and  that  bears  more 
strikingly  the  impress  of  Deity,  it  is  the  appeal  that 
is  made  to  us  in  the  appointed  method  of  salvation, 
and  the  directly  practical  tendency  of  the  charac¬ 
teristic  tenet  of  our  faith :  for  if  any  thing  can  im¬ 
press  the  heart,  and  win  on  its  affections,  it  is  the 
revelation  made  to  us  in  the  Gospel,  and  the  offer 
of  pardon  and  peace  through  the  vicarious  sacrifice 
of  the  Son  of  God.  There  mav  be  indeed  much  to 
impress  us  with  the  divine  beneficence  in  the  mate¬ 
rial  world, — the  hourly  preservation  of  life  and  health 
is  an  individual  mercy  ;  the  mother  cannot  look 
upon  the  group  around  her,  happy  in  their  young 
existence,  without  having  cause  to  recognise  the 
superintending  providence  of  God ;  but  what  would 
all  this  be,  were  there  a  veil  thrown  over  the  future, 
or  a  doubt  as  to  our  eternal  resting-place  ? 


FEMALE  EXCELLENCE. 


55 


But,  thanks  be  to  God,  it  is  not  so ;  and  Chris 
tianity,  in  assuring  us  of  our  future  destiny,  furnishes 
us  with  a  motive  for  gratitude  and  exertion  far  more 
powerful,  and  more  constraining,  than  human  imagi¬ 
nation  could  conceive.  Heaven  is  purchased  at  a 
price  which  none  can  believe  without  rendering  to 
Him  who  gave  it/the  homage  of  their  hearts.  The 
female  Christian,  especially,  will  not  forget  the  share 
her  sex  has  had  both  in  the  fail  and  restoration  of 
the  human  race ;  and,  consequently,  the  peculiar 
claims  which  the  Author  of  her  redemption  has  on 
her  love  and  service.  And,  if  it  is  the  characteristic 
of  woman  to  be  accessible  to  kindness,  and  to  yield 
to  the  impulses  of  tender  feeling ;  how  can  she  with¬ 
hold  her  affections  where  the  demand  for  them  is  so 
paramount,  and  where  they  may  be  so  safely  and  so 
properly  rendered?  To  her  the  gates  of  the  second 
Eden  are  still  thrown  open, — to  her  was  given,  even 
at  the  foot  of  the  tree  of  her  apostasy,  the  promise 
of  gratuitous  admission  to  the  tree  of  life  ;  how 
anxious  then  should  she  be  to  prove  herself  not  un¬ 
worthy  of  the  mercy  she  has  received  ! 

There  is  no  sentiment  more  appropriate  to  her 
than  the  dependence  which  a  belief  in  this  revela¬ 
tion  of  divine  goodness  affords.  Self-righteousness 
and  arrogance  are  excluded  by  the  Christian  scheme ; 
and  in  their  place  are  filial  confidence,  and  humble 
yet  rejoicing  hope.  And  these  are  the  tempers 
which  sit  so  engagingly  on  the  female  sex,  and  ac¬ 
cord  so  sweetly  with  their  character.  Nothing  is  so 


* 


56  CHRISTIANITY  THE  SOURCE  OF 

cold  and  heartless  as  the  system,  which  builds  on 
human  merits, — nothing  so  unbecoming  in  woman 
as  a  proud  reliance  on  her  own  sufficiency  and  at¬ 
tainments.  Christianity  makes  her  just  what  she 
should  be  ;  and  is  the  source  of  that  humble,  happy 
disposition,  which  renders  her  amiable  and  obliging 
towards  others,  and  contented,  whatever  be  her  por¬ 
tion  here. 

And  by  impressing  her  with  a  sense  of  what  she 
owes  to  infinite  bou'nty,  it  expands  her  heart  towards 
all  who,  with  her,  are  recipients  of  the  same  grace. 
Christian  charity  may  well  maintain  its  place  as 
the  first  of  virtues.  Unknown  as  it  was  to  the 
heathen  world,  unknown  as  it  now  is  to  any  but 
believers,  its  fruits  are  so  fair  that  they  cannot  fail 
of  exciting  the  admiration  of  even  those  who  do  not 
understand  its  principle.  It  is  the  expansion  of  the 
divine  benevolence, — the  reflection  of  that  love  that 
saved  mankind.  Pity  that  any  who  call  themselves 
Christians,  still  greater  pity  that  any  who  believe 
the  doctrines  and  respect  the  precepts  of  the  Gospel, 
should  be  deficient  in  this  pre-eminent  grace. 

Yet,  with  regard  to  men,  allowance  maybe  made 
for  peculiar  trial  or  circumstance ;  for  provocation, 
for  the  heat  of  debate,  or  the  excitement  of  contro¬ 
versy.  Christian  women  have  no  such  excuse. 
And,  surely,  if  they  have  truly  imbibed  the  princi¬ 
ples  of  their  faith,  they  will  not  suffer  their  lesser 
disturbances  to  excite  in  them  tempers  equally  un- 

s 

worthy  their  sex  and  their  profession.  Nor  will 


FEMALE  EXCELLENCE.  ' 


57 


t.hey  expose  themselves  to  temptation,  by  entering 
uncalled  upon  dangerous  ground  ; — they  will  avoid, 
when  they  can,  religious  as  well  as  other  dispute  ; 
and  whilst  they  study  with  humility  the  divine  word, 
and  receive  with  implicit  faith  what  is  there  re¬ 
vealed,  they  will  recommend  its  doctrines  as  much 
by  their  example  as  by  their  gentle  and  persuasive 
influence  ;  for  in  their  conduct  they  will  show  much 
of  that  charity  which  suffereth  long  and  is  kind.  It 
is  astonishing  what  a  woman  may  often  effect  by 
forbearance  and  by  tenderness.  In  domestic  life,  for 
instance,  what  so  likely  to  disarm  prejudice,  or  to 
recall  affection,  or  to  calm  an  irritable  temper,  as, 
not  merely  patience  under  vexations,  but  the  soft 
and  soothing  expression  of  genuine  kindness  ?  Per¬ 
haps  there  is  no  situation  of  greater  difficulty  or 
delicacy  than  that  of  a  woman  associated  with  one 
whose  disposition  and  habits  are  ill-assorted  with 
her  own.  Yet,  even  here,  a  Christian  need  not 
despair.  There  is,  of  course,  much  of  judgment 
and  tenderness  required  ;  but  her  religion  may  teach 
her  both.  It  will  teach  her  to  love  as  well  as  to 
endure  ;  and,  by  supplying  her  with  a  motive  for  her 
exertions,  will  render  her  more  unwearied  in  her 
efforts  to  please. 

It  is  scarcely  possible  to  suggest  a  precise  line  in 
such  a  case ;  but  this,  however,  may  safely  be 
affirmed,  that  there  is  no  guide  like  religion.  But 
then  it  must  be  a  principle  active  and  efficient,  and 
in  daily  operation.  There  must  be  no  shrinking 


58 


CHRISTIANITY  THE  SOURCE  OF 


from  those  acts  of  domestic  self-denial,  which  are 
the  more  rare  and  the  more  difficult,  because  they 
attract  little  notice.  Neither  must  there  be  a  neg¬ 
lect  of  minute  duties,  of  slight  courtesies,  of  trifling 
concessions. 

And,  especially,  there  must  be  respect.  This  is 
a  duty  congenial  with  the  whole  spirit  of  the  Gos¬ 
pel,  and  expressly  enjoined  on  female  Christians. 
Yet  we  have  to  lament  its  deficiency,  sometimes, 
even  in  good  women ;  and  this  is,  perhaps,  one  rea¬ 
son  why  they  are  less  appreciated  at  home  than 
elsewhere.  Respect,  like  all  other  duties,  must  be 
habitual ;  it  must  not  merely  be  kept  for  public 
exhibition ;  though  in  society,  of  course,  deference 
is  indispensable ;  but  it  must  be  maintained  in  the 
privacy  of  the  married  hearth,  and  in  the  familiarities 
of  confidential  intercourse.  There  are  a  thousand 
little  instances  in  which  respect  may  be  shown, — 
in  attentiveness,  in  consideration,  in  a  readiness  to 
hear  and  to  be  taught.  Suppose  a  woman  to  he 
superior,  and  suppose  her  to  have  both  intellectual 
endowment  and  religious  excellence  ;  suppose  her, 
too,  to  have  reason  to  complain  of  indifference  or 
neglect :  yet  surely  there  is  some  point  in  which  she 
might  learn  from  her  husband  ;  some  quality  or 
endowment  for  which  she  might  respect  him  ;  some 
particular  in  which  she  might  defer  to  his  judgment, 
and  acquiesce  in  his  opinions.  Why  should  she  be 
always  on  the  defensive  ? — why  seem  to  imagine 
that  he  must  be  always  wrong?  Would  it  not  be 


FEMALE  EXCELLENCE. 


59 


better  to  seek  to  discover  subjects  of  union  rathei 
than  of  difference  ?  for,  in  doing  so,  as  she  would  be 
acting  from  the  highest  principle,  and  discharging 
the  first  of  social  duties,  she  might  expect  a  blessing. 

There  is  one  question  of  peculiar  nicety  by  which 
a  tender  conscience  may  be  harassed.  It  arises  from 
the  apparent  interference  of  religious  and  conjugal 
duty.  Where,  of  course,  there  is  an  actual  inter¬ 
ference  the  latter  must  give  way.  But  the  case  is 
often  dubious,  and  rendered  more  so  by  inclination 
being  sometimes  mistaken  for  conscience,  or  by 
motives  of  a  very  mixed  nature  being  associated  with 
the  simple  desire  of  serving  God. 

It  should  always  be  the  first  inquiry,  whether  a 
little  more  effort,  a  little  more  self-denial,  a  little 
more  anxiety  to  fulfil  the  one  obligation  without 
leaving  the  other  undone,  would  not  smooth  the 
way ;  whether,  for  instance,  the  hour  of  privacy 
might  not  be  secured  without  interfering  with  that 
of  domestic  enjoyment,  and  the  ordinance  observed 
without  the  neglect  of  family  attentions. 

But  in  all  these  minutiae,  it  is  love,  Christian  love 
only,  that  can  solve  the  question,  and  assign  the 
right  line  of  conduct ;  and  the  more  we  are  influ¬ 
enced  by  it,  the  less  shall  we  be  perplexed  by 
scrupulosity.  It  will  infuse,  too,  a  spirit  and  a  life 
into  our  duties.  In  all  social  relations  every  thing 
is  spoilt  by  an  appearance  of  effort.  The  parent 
receives  no  pleasure  from  the  obedience  of  a  child, 
if  it  be  the  service  of  constraint ;  the  husband  is 


60 


CHRISTIANITY  THE  SOURCE  OF 


indifferent  to  all  the  attentions  of  a  wife,  if  they  are 
cold  and  compulsory.  Where  the  heart  is  required, 
nothing  can  repay  for  its  absence  ;  and  a  sensitive 
mind  is  pained  rather  than  pleased  by  a  tribute  from 
which  the  choicest  ingredient  is  wanting. 

On  the  contrary,  Christian  love,  as  it  ascends  first 
to  its  fountain,  is  conducted  from  thence,  in  due 
proportion,  into  every  legitimate  earthly  channel. 
See  in  the  good  daughter,  listening  to  her  parents’ 
counsels,  valuing  their  instructions,  seeking  their 
society,  ministering  to  their  comfort,  and,  lastly, 
soothing  their  infirmities,  and  closing  their  eyes, 
the  earliest  exemplification  of.  Christian  social  love. 
See  her  again  in  after  life,  blessing  and  being  blest, 
the  friend  of  her  husband,  the  joy  of  his  home, 
the  messenger  of  good  to  all  who  feel  her  sweet  and 
gentle  influence.  See  her  in  her  family ;  the  ten¬ 
der  nurse,  the  patient  instructress,  the  sympathizing 
and  forgiving  counsellor,  receiving  back  from  her 
children  the  recompense  of  her  own  filial  affection. 

Nor,  in  such  a  person,  is  the  development  of  the 
principle  confined  to  her  own  home.  As  a  friend 
she  is  kind,  while  faithful,  constant,,  and  yet  impar¬ 
tial.  Without  indulging  in  romantic  fondnesses, 
which  are  often  as  fickle  as  they  are  excessive,  she 
has  a  heart  to  bestow  on  those  who  are  worthy  of  it, 
and  she  is  ready  to  reciprocate  their  affection.  She 
can  appreciate,  too,  true  excellence,  wherever  she 
meets  with  it,  and  does  not  allow  prejudice  or  party 
feeling  to  interfere  with  her  estimate  of  worth.  Far 


FEMALE  EXCELLENCE.  - 


61 


is  it  from  her  to  indulge  in  harshness  of  expression, 
still  farther  to  offer  the  challenge  and  provoke  the 
attack ;  she  is  a  “  meek  daughter  in  the  family  of 
Christ;” — all  her  words  are  gentle,  all  her  tone  is 
feminine ;  and  whether  she  relieve  distress,  or  com¬ 
municate  instruction,  or  render  a  slight  courtesy, 
she  evinces  the  same  warm  and  sympathizing  heart, 
the  same  tender  and  graceful  hand. 

There  is  yet  one  feature  of  religion  which  involves 
female  excellence,  and  which  is  essential  to  the 
moral  proficiency  of  the  sex.  Christian  holiness, 
the  effect  of  spiritual  influence  on  the  heart,  as  it  is 
the  root  of  all  virtue,  so  is  it  the  only  principle  which 
imparts  unity  and  consistency  to  the  character.  It 
the  seed  sown  by  the  divine  hand,  and  watered 
from  above,  which  proves  its  celestial  origin  by  the 
fruit  it  bears.  , 

We  look  in  vain  for  real  and  persevering  good¬ 
ness  from  any  other  source.  There  may  be  a  kind 
disposition,  a  happy  temper,  a  liberal,  open  hand ; 
there  may  be  a  burst  of  feeling,  or  a  sudden  impulse 
to  what  is  noble  and  disinterested  ;  or,  what  is  still 
more  frequent,  a  thirst  for  human  applause,  which 
may  induce  extraordinary  effort.  But  where  is  the 
steady  course  of  virtuous  self-denial,  pursued  alike 
in  public  and  in  private,  amid  disappointment  and 
success;  except  it  be  the  result  of  Christian  motive, 
and  of  that  heaven-born  principle,  the  end  of  which 
is  conformity  to  Him  whom  it  acknow  .edges  as  its 
Author  ? 


6 


62 


CHRISTIANITY  THE  SOURCE  OF 


It  is  just  this  uniform  excellence  which  we  require 
in  woman.  In  men,  it  is,  of  course,  no  less  valuable ; 
but  still,  as  their  virtues  are  for  the  most  part  more 
important,  and  more  prominent,  we  are  disposed  to 
make  greater  allowance  for  their  faults.  They  have 
their  redeeming  points,  and,  on  this  account,  we 
excuse  some  blemishes.  But  in  woman  we  expect 
proportion.  Beauty  is  her  attribute,  that  moral  and 
mental  grace,  which,  by  its  genuine  and  finished 
loveliness,  wins  upon  the  heart.  And  this  cannot 
be  without  consistency.  It  is  in  vain  that  there  is 
the  occasional  virtue,  the  partial  observance  of  what 
is  right ;  it  is  in  vain  that  the  tear  of  sympathy  is 
sometimes  seen  to  flow,  and  the  purse  to  open  at  the 
call  of  benevolence  ;  it  is  in  vain  even  that  there  is 
a  painful  and  laborious  effort  in  the  discharge  of 
some  duties,  or  an  apparent  zeal  in  the  one  good 
cause  ;  unless  there  is  a  tone  of  excellence  pervading 
the  character,  and  evincing  its  daily  fruits  in  domes¬ 
tic  and  social  life,  we  are  struck  by  the  deficiency, 
and  are  more  inclined  to  find  fault  with  it  than  to 
admire  the  incidental  virtue. 

The  proficiency,  however,  of  which  we  have  been 
speaking,  is  not  of  sudden  or  of  easy  attainment. 
Amid  the  trials  and  temptations  which  assail  us 
here,  how  highly  blessed  are  they  who  are  enabled, 
through  divine  grace,  to  persevere  in  the  right  path 
without  retrogression.  But,  in  the  appointed  means 
of  spiritual  improvement,  the  female  Christian  will 
seek  renewal  of  her  strength,  and,  setting  before  her 


FEMALE  EXCELLENCE. 


63 


her  high  exemplar,  will  not  be  satisfied  without  an 
approach  to  it.  It  is  this  which  will  stimulate  her 
to  duty,  purify  her  wishes,  and  exalt  her  hopes; 
and  whilst  it  is  to  her  a  motive  for  daily  progress,  it 
'  will  also  act  as  a  remembrancer  that  her  recompense 
is  above,  and  consists  in  a  full  and  entire  assimila¬ 
tion  to  that  perfect  model,  to  which  she  is  now  faintly 
and  feebly  approximating.  She  will  pursue  her 
course,  it  may  be,  through  discouragement  and 
difficulty  ;  but  she  will  be  cheered  by  the  prospect 
that  is  before  her  ;  and  her  latest  thought  will  be,  an 
anticipation  of  that  entire  union  to  divine  excellence, 
for  which  she  is  educating  here. 


SCRIPTURE  ILLUSTRATIVE  OF  FEMALE  CHARACTER. 


Besides  the  blessing  which  Christianity  is  to  us  as 
a  motive  for  our  moral  improvement,  it  is  also  mosi 
valuable  as  a  rule  of  conduct.  We  are  not  left 
merely  to  the  influence  of  its  principles  on  the  heart ; 
the  effect  which  they  ought  to  have  is  specified,  and 
we  are  thus  furnished  with  a  test,  by  which  we  may 
judge  how  far  we  are  really  affected  by  them,  and 
also  with  directions  to  assist  us  in  their  practical 
result. 

These  directions,  no  less  than  the  doctrines  with 
which  they  are  so  nearly  allied,  have  the  divine 
sanction ;  and  attest,  like  them,  the  wisdom  and 
goodness  of  their  Author.  They  are  given  in  a 
way  the  best  calculated  to  interest  and  influence, 
and  are  of  as  universal  an  application  as  the  princi¬ 
ples  from  which  they  spring. 

The  manner  in  which  woman  is  noticed  in  the 
practical  parts  of  Scripture  accords  with  the  place 
she  is  allowed  to  hold  in  the  Christian  economy. 
The  precepts  which  are  to  regulate  female  conduct 
are  equally  precise  with  those  which  apply  to  the 
•)ther  sex,  and  the  examples  equally  instructive. 

We  cannot,  indeed,  but  be  peculiarly  struck  with 


r 


SCRIPTURE  ILLUSTRATIVE,  ETC.  65 

the  natural  and  appropriate,  as  well  as  beautiful, 
delineation  of  female  character  in  Scripture.  No 
point  is  overcharged,  no  virtue  exaggerated.  The 
portrait  is  the  more  affecting  because  it  is  so  like. 
It  is  the  gentle,  tender,  and  feeling  woman  whom  we 
meet  with  in  real  life ;  and  though  the  sublime 
situations  in  which  she  is  placed,  as  well  as  the  lan¬ 
guage  and  imagery  of  Scripture,  invest  the  heroine 
of  the  Bible  with  a  peculiar  charm,  she  is  not  so 
highly  raised  above  ordinary  circumstances  as  not  to 
provoke  our  sympathy  and  invite  our  imitation. 

On  this  account  the  illustrations  of  the  sacred  vol¬ 
ume  are  of  the  highest  value.  The  female  Chris¬ 
tian  who  is  familiar  with  them  needs  few  other 
models.  Besides  the  cbasteness  and  simplicity 
which  characterize  these  examples,  there  is  a  detail 
about  them  which  is  not  only  graphically  true,  but 
practically  instructive.  It  is  not  merely  by  their 
prophetic  visions,  or  inspired  songs,  that  we  are 
made  acquainted  with  the  female  worthies  of  the 
ancient  church  ;  we  converse  with  them  in  their 
homes  ;  we  see  them  in  the  discharge  of  family  and 
social  functions  \  and  we  find,  in  general,  that  those 
who  were  the  most  highly  honored  by  divine  favor 
were  the  most  blameless  and  amiable,  according  to 
our  ideas  of  female  excellence. 

The  Bible  might,  therefore,  be  recommended, 
were  it  only  for  its  moral  illustrations  ;  and  those 
who  think  lightly  of  its  mysteries  are  often  not  with¬ 
out  appreciation  of  its  value  in  this  point  of  view. 
6*  E 


66 


SCRIPTURE  ILLUSTRATIVE  OF 


But  mutilation,  whilst  it  robs  the  Christian  system 
of  its  beauty,  spoils  its  effect.  There  is  no  part 
independent  of  another ;  tahe  it  in  its  perfect  grada¬ 
tion,  the  harmony  is  complete  ;  but  the  abstraction 
of  a  single  principle  cannot  be  without  prejudice  to 
the  whole. 

On  the  contrary,  those  who  receive  the  truths  of 
Scripture  on  the  sanction  of  their  Author,  and,  there¬ 
fore,  give  due  weight  to  every  part,  are  enabled  to 
admire  their  aggregate  completeness,  as  well  as  their 
individual  perfection.  The  female  believer,  for  in¬ 
stance,  whilst  she  acknowledges  with  gratitude  the 
interest  she  has  in  the  doctrines  of  the  Gospel,  is 
no  less  affected  by  the  regard  paid  to  her  sex  in  the 
Scripture  development  of  their  character.  With 
regard  to  the  latter,  especially,  she  cannot  but  feel  it 
to  be  a  peculiar  mark  of  condescension  that  there 
should  be  such  minute  and  instructive  notices ;  and 
that,  by  the  setting  forth  of  examples  in  various 
circumstances,  and  in  the  different  ranks  of  life,  sli6 
should  be  left  at  no  loss  as  to  the  application  of  the 
divine  precepts. 

Nor  can  she  help  remarking  the  impartiality  and 
the  truth  of  scriptural  illustrations.  Woman  is  de¬ 
scribed  with  the  virtues  and  the  faults  peculiar  to 
her  sex ;  and  whilst  we  admire  her  enthusiasm,  hei 
tenderness,  and  her  devotion,  whilst  we  see  of  how 
much  she  is  capable,  how  greatly  she  has  been 
honored,  and  for  what  she  has  been  destined,  we 
are  not  allowed  to  be  blind  to  her  weaknesses. 


FEMALE  CHARACTER. 


67 


It  is  thus  that  so  much  may  be  learnt  from  the 
study  of  the  Scriptures.  Not  only  is  the  Bible  in 
this  way  infinitely  superior  to  all  fictitious  narra* 
tive,  but  few  histories  contain  such  accurate  and 
impartial  delineations.  The  Bible  tells  us  what 
woman  has  been,  what  she  may  be,  and  what  she 
is.  And  if  she  would  be  guided  in  the  path  of  duty, 
if  she  would  know  her  dangers,  her  temptations, 
and  her  foibles,  if  she  would  be  made  acquainted 
with  her  own  heart,  she  will  read  and  meditate  upon 
the  inspired  volume,  and  will  study  there  what  is 
so  accurately  described,  either  as  encouragement  or 
as  warning. 

The  earliest  example  recorded  is  eminently 
illustrative  of  female  character.  The  mother  of 
mankind  was  truly  the  representative  of  her  sex. 
She  fell  because  she  was  over-confident  in  herself, 
and  because  she  was  prevailed  on  to  desire  what 
was  prohibited.  And  if  this  conveys  a  salutary  cau¬ 
tion  to  her  female  descendants,  and  a  caution  of 
which  they  stand  too  frequently  in  need,  how  sweet 
a  lesson  may  they  learn  from  her  lowly  penitence, 
her  humble  yet  rejoicing  hope.  She  fell ;  but  in 
the  depth  of  her  abasement  she  caught  the  bright¬ 
ness  of  the  promise,  and  saw,  in  the  east,  the  dawn 
of  the  Sun  of  Righteousness  rising  on  her  benighted 
children  with  healing  in  his  wings.  Long  and 
patiently  did  she  wait  his  coming ;  and,  though  her 
first-born  hopes  ended  in  worse  than  disappointment, 
though  it  was  her  lot  to  experience  the  bitterest  of 


68 


SCRIPTURE  ILLUSTRATIVE  OF 


maternal  griefs,  and  to  lose  two  children  through  the 
crime  of  one,  still  she  persevered  in  believing  ;  and 
when  called  again  to  the  solicitudes  and  duties  of  a 
mother,  recognised  in  her  offspring  a  pledge  of  the  di¬ 
vine  truth.  She  died  in  hope,  and  her  expectation 
was  inherited  by  her  descendants.  It  was  the  pecu¬ 
liar  privilege  of  the  daughters  of  the  chosen  seed  ;  it 
inspired  the  song  of  the  prophetess,  and  nerved  the 
arm  of  the  female  warrior,  and  gave  to  the  peaceful 
mother  of  Israel  higher  thoughts  and  nobler  anticipa¬ 
tions  than  could  have  been  enjoyed  by  any  less 
privileged  matron.  And  it  continued  to  cheer  the 
female  believers  of  the  ancient  church,  until  faith 
was  lost  in  fulfilment,  and  the  salutation  of  the 
angel  announced  the  completion  of  the  promise,  as 
he  greeted  the  virgin  of  the  house  of  David  the 
mother  of  Emanuel. 

A  hope  so  heavenly  and  so  pure  is  peculiarly 
appropriate  to  woman.  Nothing  is  more  delightful 
in  her  than  a  disposition  to  anticipate  good.  Women 
have  their  share  in  the  trials  of  life,  and  they  have, 
perhaps,  less  strength  than  the  other  sex  to  encounter 
them  ;  but  to  hope  is  their  privilege  and  their  dis¬ 
tinction  ;  and  often  does  this  bear  them  up,  and  help 
them  even  to  bear  up  others,  when  minds  of  greater 
firmness,  but  less  buoyancy,  fail.  The  captive 
daughter  of  Judah  felt  her  fetters  lightened  when 
she  thought  of  Him  who  was  to  be  her  deliverer, 
and  whose  glory  it  should  be  to  lead  captivity  cap¬ 
tive.  And  Christian  hope  is  the  same  sentiment 


FEMALE  CHARACTER. 


69 


modified  and  matured.  It  is  less  imaginative,  but 
more  spiritual ;  less  exclusive,  but  more  amiable  ; 
it  has  less  of  rapture,  perhaps,  but  it  has  stronger 
assurance.  It  is  the  light  which  guides  the  female 
pilgrim  through  the  path  of  life,  the  evening  star, 
“  serenely  brilliant,”  that  sheds  its  hallowed  lustre 
on  her  bed  of  death. 

With  equal  truth  the  Bible  portrays  other  graces 
of  female  character.  How  pathetically,  for  instance, 
is  that  sensibility  depicted  which  gives  to  woman 
so  much  softness  and  grace ;  which  is  in  her  the 
impulse  to  a  thousand  disinterested  actions ;  which 
leads  her  to  cling,  like  Ruth  to  Naomi,  to  those 
whom  she  loves,  or  to  watch,  like  Rizpah,  the  objects 
of  her  solicitude,  or  to  make,  like  the  widow  of'Za- 
rephath,  any  sacrifice  of  self,  to  minister  to  those 
who  have  a  claim  upon  her  service. 

And  how  marked  is  the  difference  in  the  delinea¬ 
tion  of  this  virtue  between  the  mere  affecter  of  senti- 
ment  and  the  woman  of  real  feeling  !  This  distinc¬ 
tion  is  strikingly  exemplified  in  the  two  daughters 
of  the  widowed  Mara.  Orpah  sheds  the  most  tears, 
Orpah  is  the  most  loud  in  protestation,  Orpah  even 
sets  out  on  her  pilgrimage,  and  turns  her  face  to¬ 
wards  Canaan,  but  Orpah  lifts  up  her  voice,  and 
bids  adieu  ;  Ruth  is  silent,  and  goes  on. 

The  character  of  Orpah  is  true  to  life,  and  affords 
a  salutary  warning.  No  less  genuine  is  that  of 
Ruth,  and  she  furnishes  a  sweet  exemplification  of 
filial  piety  and  devotedness.  She  is  one  of  those 


70 


SCRIPTURE  ILLUSTRATIVE  OF 


$ 


gentle,  affectionate,  confiding  creatures,  who,  though 
they  make  no  noise  in  the  world,  are  capable  of 
great  efforts.  She  is  one  of  those  whom,  following 
their  quiet  and  unassuming  course,  God  delighteth 
to  honor.  She,  like  Hannah,  reposed  all  her  cares 
in  the  bosom  of  her  God  ;  and  He  heard  and  reliev¬ 
ed  her. 

The  tenderness  of  female  piety  is  every  where 
affectionately  exhibited  in  the  holy  women  in  the 
Bible.  How  different  is  their  devotion  from  the 
imaginative  mysticism  of  the  enthusiast.  It  is,  in¬ 
deed,  glowing  and  affectionate ;  but  it  is  calm  and 
reverential.  We  see  Mary,  gazing  on  her  Divine 
Master,  listening  to  every  word  that  fell  from  his  lips, 
pouring  her  costly  ointment  on  his  head,  watching 
his  last  agony,  prostrating  herself  in  almost  speech¬ 
less  joy  before  his  risen  form;  but  all  these  actions, 
whilst  they  denote  the  tenderness  of  the  friend,  mark 
also  the  respect  of  the  disciple.  And  Martha,  too, 
though  she,  on  one  occasion,  mistook  the  way  to 
pay  honor  to  him,  whose  thoughts  were  not  of  this 
world  ;  what  can  be  more  affectionate  than  her  greet¬ 
ing  at  the  tomb  of  Lazarus  ?  And  what  more  bles¬ 
sed  than  the  memorial  of  each,  “  now  Jesus  loved 

Martha,  and  her  sister,  and  Lazarus  ?” 

.1 

The  piety  of  these  holy  women  was  of  a  subdued 
and  chastened  character  ;  and  whilst  it  chained  their 
hearts  to  the  object  of  their  affections,  it  never  suf¬ 
fered  them  to  forget  their  homage.  And  their  lan¬ 
guage,  like  their  sentiment,  was  that  adoration. 


FEMALE  CHARACTER. 


71 


They  indulged  in  no  undue  familiarity,  they  did  not 
adopt  the  language  of  earthly  passion  ;  but,  whilst 
they  consecrated  to  Christ  their  choicest  affections, 
their  manner  of  addressing  him  was  such  as  became 
dependent  creatures.  They  reverenced  and  wor¬ 
shipped  as  well  as  loved.  And  they  persevered  in 
their  attachment  to  the  end  ;  for  they  were  the  latest 
to  linger  at  the  cross ;  they  received  his  dying  words  ; 
and  though  they  understood  not  yet  the  mystery  of  a 
crucified  Messiah,  they  paid  the  last  tribute  of  re¬ 
spect  to  Jesus  of  Nazareth. 

Their  spirit  descended  on  their  sisters  in  the 
Christian  church.  It  was  this  that  warmed  their 
hearts,  and  prompted  their  kindness  to  the  members 
of  Christ’s  body.  It  was  this  that  characterized  the 

benevolent  and  painstaking  Dorcas,  and  the  atten- 

\ 

tive  and  devout  Lydia  ;  that  induced  Priscilla  to 
“  hazard  her  life  ”  for  the  apostle  of  the  Gentiles,  and 
Phoebe  to  succor  him  in  his  necessity ;  and  that 
obtained  for  the  “  beloved  Persis,”  and  for  the  little 
band  of  Roman  disciples,  the  honorable  commenda¬ 
tion,  that  they  “  labored  much  in  the  Lord.”  Theirs 
was  not  a  mere  holiday  profession,  or  a  transient 
emotion ;  it  was  not  a  tribute  to  the  eloquence  of 
Paul,  the  earnestness  of  Peter,  or  the  sweetness  of 
John ;  it  was  a  principle  that  triumphed  over  weak¬ 
ness,  and  bestowed  a  supernatural  courage ;  that 
enabled  the  tender  and  delicate  woman  to  meet  even 
the  severest  trial,  and  to  stretch  forth  her  hand  for 
the  martyr’s  crown. 


72 


SCRIPTURE  ILLUSTRATIVE  OF 


And  we  may  remark  the  same  feeling  in  the  de¬ 
vout  women  of  an  earlier  age.  For  it  was  this 
which  encouraged  Esther  to  dare  the  frown  of  her 
sovereign,  and  emboldened  Rahab  to  risk  her  safety 
for  the  messengers  of  God.  It  is  religion,  indeed, 
which  inspires  true  courage,  and  precisely  that  quiet 
and  enduring-  courage  which  is  essential  to  female 
greatness.  Women  are  not  called  on  now  to  assume, 
like  Deborah,  the  sword  of  the  warrior ;  hut  they  are 
called  on  to  compete  with  trials  which  require  equal 
strength  of  mind.  And  it  is  the  same  principle 
which  must  bear  them  through,  the  principle  of 
heavenly  love,  the  habitual  preference  of  things  di¬ 
vine  to  things  earthly,  the  unostentatious  disinterest¬ 
edness,  which  is  ever  ready  to  seek  the  good  and 
happiness  of  others  at  the  expense  of  selfish  enjoy¬ 
ment.  And  what  a  peculiarly  amiable  feature  is 
this  in  the  character  of  woman.  It  is  frequently  her 
duty  to  yield  her  own  wishes.  Domestic  peace  may 
require  it ;  and,  at  any  rate,  she  should  always  culti¬ 
vate  the  spirit  of  self-denial ;  and  by  doing  so  in 
lesser  matters,  she  will  be  preparing  herself,  in  the 
best  way,  for  greater  efforts. 

Again,  what  grace  do  we  admire  more  than  deli¬ 
cacy  in  woman,  that  delicacy  which  knows  how  to 
render  even  a  kindness  more  acceptable  ;  and  which, 
by  studying  the*  tastes  and  habits  of  others,  can  adapt 
and  time  its  attentions  ?  And  where  can  we  find  a 
more  pleasing  specimen  of  this  than  in  the  conduct 
of  the  Shunammite  ?  What  can  be  more  appro- 


FEMALE  CHARACTER. 


73 


priately  considerate  than  her  provision  for  Elisha  ? 
Where  is  there  a  better  example  for  a  Christian 
matron  ?  The  prophet  might  not  find  the  table  of 
the  great  man  at  Shunem  at  all  times  a  congenial 
resting-place.  It  was  not  for  one  who  was  mourning 
over  the  desolations  of  his  country*  and,  like  his  mas¬ 
ter  Elijah,  very  jealous  for  the  Lord  of  Hosts,  to  hear 
the  voice  of  singing  men  and  singing  women,  or  to 
be  frequently  a  guest  at  the  festive  board.  His  pious 
hostess  felt  this,  and  therefore  provided  him  a  suita¬ 
ble  asylum.  She  built  for  him  a  secluded  chamber ; 
she  furnished  it  with  a  table  and  a  cushion,  that  the 
holy  man  might  be  tempted  to  turn  aside,  and  bless 
the  house  that  had  provided  him  so  kind  a  shelter. 
We  should  expect  to  find,  in  such  a  woman,  the 
resignation  that  would  say,  under  all  the  dispensa¬ 
tions  of  Providence,  “  It  is  well.” 

These  and  similar  illustrations  are  the  best  com¬ 
ment  on  the  divine  doctrines  and  precepts.  It  is 
thus  that  Scripture  is  its  own  interpreter,  and  that 
one  part  is  explanatory  and  corroborative  of  another. 
It  is  thus,  too,  that  its  study  amply  repays  us  ;  for  the 
Bible  is  a  rich  and  inexhaustible  mine,  from  which 
we  may,  each  of  us,  draw  precious  ore,  to  apply  to 
our  individual  nse. 

There  are  other  instances  less  pleasing,  though, 
perhaps,  little  less  instructive,  which  show  the  darker 
side  of  female  character,  and  mark  the  inconsistencies 
and  sins  into  which  even  the  favored  of  Heaven 
were  occasionally  betrayed.  The  propensity,  for 
7 


74 


SCRIPTURE  ILLUSTRATIVE  OF 


example,  to  compass  by  stratagem  what  may  not  be 
obtained  by  more  direct  means,  is  noted  in  some 
who  ought  to  have  been  superior  to  such  artifice. 
The  history  of  Rebecca  is  a  painful  illustration  of 
this  unhappy  failing.  We  sympathize  in  her  ma¬ 
ternal  solicitude  ;  we  cannot  wonder  at  her  preferring 
the  gentle  and  amiable  Jacob  to  his  rude  and  grace¬ 
less  brother  :  but  when  we  see  her  busied  in  prepar¬ 
ing  the  mock  venison,  in  decking  out  her  favorite 
in  rough  disguise,  and  thus  seeking  to  cheat  the  dim 
vision  of  the  declining  patriarch ;  we  cannot  but  feel 
that  she  is  acting,  towards  Jacob,  the  part  of  the 
temptress,  and  herself  furnishing  one  of  the  first 
sad  exemplifications  of  the  fatal  sophism,  “  doing 
evil  that  good  may  come.”  Her  punishment  implies 
the  censure  passed  upon  her  fault.  We  infer  how 
displeasing  it  was  to  God  from  the  punishment  he 
Inflicted.  She  saw  her  son  no  more. 

Again,  we  notice  the  same  failing  in  the  women 
of  Pekoah  ;  in  Michal,  though  the  preservation  of 
David  was  her  apology ;  and  in  Jael,  though  she 
was  the  commissioned  instrument  of  God.  But  do 
we  not  learn  from  even  these  examples  to  appreciate 
the  opposite  virtue,  the  simplicity  that  knows  no 
guile  ? 

In  like  manner,  the  few  instances  recorded  of  fe¬ 
male  crime  are  calculated  to  impress  us  with  a  sense 
of  its  exceeding  deformity.  There  is  nothing  so 
repugnant  to  our  feelings  as  an  impious  or  a  wicked 
woman  ;  and  there  is  no  better  guard  against  sin 


FEMALE  CHARACTER.. 


75 


than  a  faithful  portraiture  of  what  it  is.  The  ambi¬ 
tious  Athaliah  ;  the  persecuting-  Jezebel ;  the  cruel 
Herodias,  and  her  syren  daughter ;  are  melancholy 
exemplifications,  and  stand  forth  in  the  sacred  page 
in  sad  pre-eminence  of  guilt.  We  learn  from  each 
of  these  to  what  excesses  pride,  or  revenge,  or  irre- 
ligion,  or  even  vanity,  may  lead  ;  and  such  instances 
are  remembered  as  evidences  of  the  moral  plague, 
and  as  the  work  of  him  who  was  a  murderer  from 
the  beginning.  They  are  fearful  warnings  ;  but  let 
none  who  inherit  our  fallen  nature  say  that  they 
are  needless.  The  same  passions  exist,  in  embryo, 
in  every  heart,  and  need  only  liberty  and  provocative. 
The  mild,  and  amiable,  and  gentle  woman  may  bless 
God  for  his  restraining  grace  ;  and  the  better*  she 
becomes  acquainted  with  herself,  the  more  apt  will 
she  be  to  commiserate  those  who  have  given  way  to 
evil. 

It  is  a  gratifying  reflection,  that  in  the  illustrations 
of  Scripture  there  is  a  considerable  preponderance 
in  favor  of  female  worth  ;  and  that  there  are  very 
many  examples  from  the  contemplation  of  which  we 
may  receive  pleasure  as  well  as  instruction.  We 
dwell  with  delight  on  the  simplicity,  the  gentleness, 
the  goodness,  and  the  humility  of  those  whose  names 
are  written  in  the  book  of  life  ;  and  whilst  we  take 
them  for  our  models,  rejoice  to  find  that  they  are 
adapted  to  our  imitation. 

In  the  study  of  these  good  women,  th^re  is  nothing 
that  strikes  us  as  more  remarkable  than  their  strictly 


76 


SCRIPTURE  ILLUSTRATIVE  OF 


feminine  deportment.  From  the  wife  of  Abraham 
to  the  wife  of  Aquilla,  there  was  none  who  forgo* 
her  subordinate  station,  or  who  wished  to  diverge 
from  it.  We  hear  of  the  holy  mothers  of  old,  who 
adorned  themselves  with  meekness, — of  their  faith, 
their  piety,  their  self-denial,  their  patience ;  but  we 
hear  of  no  unbecoming  intrusion  on  their  part,  no 
murmuring  against  appointments,  no  contempt  or 
censure  of  authorized  teachers.  On  the  contrary,  we 
only  notice  in  them  a  respectful  and  grateful  submis¬ 
sion  to  instruction,  and  a  zealous  fulfilment  of  pre¬ 
scribed  duty.  They  were  well  reported  of  for  good 
works,  they  ministered  to  the  saints,  they  relieved 
the  afflicted;  but  they  interfered  in  no  sacred  office, 
and,  “  they  were  not  permitted  to  speak  in  the 
churches.” 

One  instance  only  is  mentioned,  and  that  even  of 
an  inspired  woman,  who  presumed  on  her  own  attain¬ 
ments  and  dared  to  impugn  the  meek  ministers  of 
God.  And  surely  the  reproof  passed  on  her  may 
afford  a  salutary  admonition  to  all  who,  in  every  age, 
may  be  infected  with  her  temper,  and  who,  without 
her  gifts,  may  have  all  her  impatience  of  control. 
Miriam  bewailed  her  fault,  and  humbled  herself  be 
fore  God  and  man.  And  we  may  rest  assured  that 
subordination  is  a  Christian  as  well  as  feminine  duty ; 
and  that  nothing  is  less  pleasing  to  the  Almighty 
than  a  contumacious  or  an  aspiring  spirit. 

In  fine,  the  illustrations  of  female  character  in 
Scripture  are  equally  encouraging  and  instructive. 


FEMALE  CHARACTER. 


77 


The  attentive  hearer  of  God’s  word,  the  pious 
mother,  the  Christian  mistress  of  a  household,  the 
reliever  of  the  necessitous,  the  visiter  of  the  sick,  are 
all  had  in  honorable  remembrance.  Their  good 
deeds  are  thought  worthier  of  being  recorded  than 
more  brilliant  exploits ;  and  they  afford  both  a 
stimulus  and  a  pattern  to  all  who  wish  to  resemble 
them. 


7* 


FEMALE  INFLUENCE  ON  RELIGION. 

The  promotion  of  religious  feeling  is  one  of  the 
greatest  blessings  of  female  influence.  Yet  the  more 
qualified  women  are  to  adorn  and  recommend  piety, 
the  more  important  is  it  that  they  should  not  mistake 
or  misapply  their  power.  They  may  be  really  use¬ 
ful,  they  may,  by  their  gentle  persuasion,  enforce 
truth,  they  may  cause  religion  to  be  loved  for  their 
sake  ;  how  necessary,  then,  is  if  that  they  should 
study  the  means  by  which  they  may  be  the  honored 
instruments  of  doing  so  much  good.  How  unhappy 
that  they  should  ever  mistake  their  line,  bring  a 
prejudice  on  their  profession,  and  mar  their  own 
acceptance. 

Religion  is  peculiarly  their  province ;  and  never 
is  their  influence  so  well  employed  as  in  recommend¬ 
ing  it.  Never  is  woman  so  truly  delightful  as  when 
she  is  the  advocate  for  piety  ;  and  when,  by  a  con¬ 
sistent  and  holy  conversation,  she  exemplifies  the 
principles  which  she  wishes  to  enforce. 

Her  influence,  indeed,  is  chiefly  in  example.  This 
is  her  best  persuasive.  By  witnessing  the  effects  of 
religion  in  her,  men  learn  to  appreciate  its  value. 
If  it  makes  her  more  domestic,  more  self-denying, 


FEMALE  INFLUENCE  ON  RELIGION-. 


79 


more  kind,  more  contented,  and  more  agreeable, 
they  will,  at  least,  respect  it. 

Experience  proves  the  efficacy  of  this  silent  appeal. 
How  often  has  it  prevailed  when  a  more  direct  one 
has  been  unsuccessful.  And  it  is  peculiarly  appro¬ 
priate  to  woman.  None  can  find  fault  with  her  for 
consistency  or  virtue.  None  can  blame  her  because 
she  is  more  meek,  more  forgiving,  more  benevolent, 
more  courteous,  than  others  who  are  less  religious 
On  the  contrary,  these  graces  secure  to  her  an  influ 
ence,  and  often  pave  the  way  for  the  reception  ol 
her  opinions.  If,  in  the  early  dawn  of  Christian 
light,  woman  was  often  honored  as  its  harbinger  ;  if, 
even  in  the  imperial  palace,  the  apostle  found  in  her 
no  feeble  advocate  ;  and,  at  the  semi-barbarous  court, 
the  missionary  hailed  her  as  his  kind  and  fostering 
friend,- — was  it  not  by  her  personal  character  that  she 
mainly  recommended  truth,  and  advocated  the  doc¬ 
trines  she  had  herself  learnt  to  prize  ? 

And  so  it  is  now.  Women  may  often  outlive 
•  ^  * 

prejudice.  They  may  be  so  exemplary  in  their  dis¬ 
charge  of  social  duty,  so  pious  towards  their  parents, 
so  affectionate  to  their  husbands,  so  devoted  to  their 
children  ;  they  may  so  grace  and  enliven  the  family 
circle  ;  that  their  religion,  which  at  first  might  have 
been  considered  their  only  defect,  is  at  length  valued, 
and,  perhaps,  even  adopted.  Many  a  pious  son  has 
recorded  his  debt  of  gratitude  to  a  Christian  mother, 
many  a  Christian  mother  has  sown,  like  Monaca,* 

*  The  mother  of  St.  Augustin. 


80 


FEMALE  INFLUENCE 


the  seed  in  sorrow,  and,  like  Monaca  too,  has  had 
reason  to  rejoice  when  it  has  returned  seven-fold  « 
into  her  bosom. 

And  the  influence  of  a  religious  woman  may 
extend  far  beyond  her  own  home.  She  may  be  the 
Priscilla,  or  the  Lydia,  or  the  Dorcas,  of  a  village ; 
sympathizing  with  the  necessities  of  the  poor,  deny¬ 
ing  herself  to  relieve  them ;  and  availing  herself  of 
the  access  thus  obtained  to  their  affections,  to  lead 
them  to  the  one  only  source  of  consolation. 

Such  a  one  must  be  loved.  She  has  a  witness 
in  the  hearts  of  those  around  her,  and  they  cannot 
but  appreciate  principles  which  produce  such  results. 

Nor  are  there  occasions  wanting  for  more  direct 
influence.  An  humble-minded  Christian  will  not 
intrude  her  sentiments,  or  interfere  officiously ;  but 
she  will  feel  it  her  duty  to  do  what  she  can :  and  a 
word  spoken  in  season  is  seldom  without  effect. 
There  have  been  instances  when  the  gentle  rebuke 
of  female  piety  has  availed  to  silence  the  scoffer,  or 
put  the  infidel  to  blush ;  when  the  kind  and  faithful 
admonition  of  female  friendship  has  stopped  the 
young  in  their  career  of  folly ;  and  when  the  cheer¬ 
ing  voice  of  woman  has  soothed  the  suffering  and 
fortified  the  fainting  Christian.  And  it  is  the  duty 
of  every  woman  to  bring  all  her  influence  to  bear 
upon  the  side  of  piety,  and  to  be  herself  the  personifi¬ 
cation  of  Christian  grace  ;  to  identify  her  interests 
with  those  of  religion,  and  to  prove,  by  the  consis- 


ON  RELIGION. 


81 


tency  of  her  own  conduct,  that  she  is  in  earnest  in 
all  that  she  endeavors  to  enforce. 

Women  have  many  opportunities  of  doing  good 
peculiar  to  themselves.  The  gentleness  an4  delicacy 
natural  to  the  sex,  and  which  they  ought  especially 
to  cultivate,  may  teach  them  to  communicate  in  a 
pleasant  manner  what  might  otherwise  be  unpalata¬ 
ble  ;  and  even  their  playfulness  is  not  without  its 
use.  For  a  few  words,  spoken  in  frank  good  humor, 
may  convince,  when  more  formal  instruction  would 
be  unavailing ;  and  a  look  of  affectionate  remon¬ 
strance  may  convey  a  lesson  more  effective  than  a 
louder  appeal. 

“  But  thy  more  serious  eye  a  mild  reproof 
Darts,  0  beloved  woman !  nor  such  thoughts, 

Dim  and  unhallowed,  dost  thou  not  reject, 

And  biddest  me  walk  humbly  with  my  God.”* 

Thus  privileged,  it  is  surely  the  duty  of  all,  who 
have  really  the  good  cause  at  heart,  to  try,  as  far  as 
in  them  lies,  to  promote  it ;  and  whilst  they  make  it 
a  subject  of  endeavor  and  of  prayer  that  opportuni¬ 
ties  may  not  pass  by  them  unimproved,  they  should 
also  not  neglect  to  cultivate  whatever  may  render 
them  and  their  religion  more  acceptable. 

But  whatever  they  attempt,  in  the  way  of  influ¬ 
encing  others,  should  be  done  in  an  appropriate  spirit. 
Religion  demands  and  inculcates  humility.  It  in¬ 
volves  subjects  so  important  and  so  deep,  that  lowli- 

*  Coleridge 

F 


V 


82  '  FEMALE  INFLUENCE 

ness  is  the  only  fitting  temper  for  the  Christian ; 
and  we  cannot  but  question  the  nature  of  that  influ-  • 
ence  which  leads  to  any  opposite  result.  Least  of 
all  can  pretension  be  excused  where  the  subject  is 
so  vast  and  the  capacity  so  limited ;  where,  if  woman 
assume,  she  only  discovers  her  weakness  ;  and  where 
she  should  esteem  it  her  privilege  to  follow  and  to 
learn. 

There  is  a  great  difference  between  being  reli¬ 
gious  and  affecting  the  theologian.  Yet  these  are 
too  often  confounded ;  and  women  who,  perhaps,  are 
not  remarkable  for  intellectual  endowment,  imagine, 
that  because  they  are  in  earnest  about  spiritual  con¬ 
cerns,  they  are  qualified  to  enter  the  thorny  path  of 
controversy.  This  is,  however,  a  great  mistake. 
Not  only  is  controversy,  for  the  most  part,  unedify¬ 
ing,  and  very  inappropriate  to  the  gentler  sex;  but 
it  often  diverts  them  from  profitable  contemplation 
and  important  duties.  Besides,  it  is  apt  to  make 
them  opinionative  and  dogmatical ;  and  to  lead  them 
to  throw  their  influence  rather  into  the  scale  of 
party  than  into  that  of  true  religion. 

Religion  was,  perhaps,  never  more  talked  of  than 
it  is  at  present.  Not  only  is  it  the  heart-enlivening 
topic  amongst  Christian  friends  ;  but  serious  conver¬ 
sation  is  often  the  passport  to  society,  and  the  means 
of  elevating  individuals  above  their  natural  rank  in 
life.  There  are  thus  many  temptations  to  spurious 
piety,  and  there  are  many,  too,  to  female  vanity ; 
for  a  slight  proficiency  in  religious  knowledge  ren- 


1 


ON  RELIGION. 


83 


ders  women  fluent,  and  they  may  mistake  mere 
facility  of  expression  for  real  feeling. 

And  have  we  not  reason  to  deplore  the  errors  into 
which  they  are,  in  this  way,  occasionally  betrayed  ? 
Do  we  not  sometimes  see  even  young  women  arro¬ 
gating  to  themselves  the  right,  not  merely  of  private 
judgment,  but  of  dictation,  descanting  on  the  conflict¬ 
ing  questions  which  agitate  the  religious  world  ;  or 
enouncing  with  unhesitating  confidence  some  new 
conceit,  to  which  the  caprice  or  ignorance  of  modem 
empiricism  has  given  birth  ?  And,  at  length,  do  we 
not  see  them  become  the  tools  of  some  interested 
fanatic ;  or  the  disciples  of  some  scarcely  less  culpa¬ 
ble,  though  more  honest,  zealot ;  to  whose  keeping 
they  have  delivered  their  consciences ;  whose  vary¬ 
ing  opinions  they  are  pledged  to  adopt  and  to  sup¬ 
port  ;  and  whom  they  credulously  and  emulously 
follow  through  all  the  phases  of  his  eccentric  orbit  ? 

It  is  with  grief  that  we  view  such  wanderings 
from  the  right  path.  It  is  not  the  excess,  but  the 
misapplication  of  zeal  that  we  lament ;  it  is  not  that 
such  persons  do  too  much  for  religion,  nor  that  they 
have  it  too  much  at  heart ;  but  that  they  mistake 
wherein  it  consists,  and  that  they  identify  it  with 
their  own  opinions,  or  with  mere  excitement.  No 
one  can  be  too  self-denying,  or  too  energetic,  in  what 
is  really  the  Christian  cause ;  but  the  error  lies  in 
the  misapprehension  of  the  object.  And  this  is  not 
surprising,  for  there  is  often  more  to  attract  in  what 
is  uncommon  and  extravagant  than  in  genuine  piety, 


34 


FEMALE  INFLUENCF 


and  more  distinction  in  becoming  the  peripatetic 
professor  of  a  novel  creed,  than  in  the  assiduous  dis¬ 
charge  of  ordinary  Christian  duty. 

The  being  eccentric  is  an  inducement  to  many 
persons.  They  think  there  is  something  imposing 
in  that  singularity  which  despises  the  prejudices 
and  differs  from  the  habits  of  those  around  them. 
It  has,  it  must  be  confessed,  its  influence  on  weak 
or  morbid  minds  ;  and,  therefore,  we  cannot  wonder 
that  those  who  are  ambitious  of  distinction  in  some 
way  should  adopt  an  easy  method  of  rendering 
themselves  remarkable. 

But  is  it  not  a  mistake  to  affect  in  things  in¬ 
different  what  duty  may  require  in  things  essential  ? 
Christians  must  be  singular  in  many  points.  They 
must  be  singular  in  their  estimate  of  this  world  and 
the  next,  singular  in  their  abstinence  from  what  is 
unlawful,  singular  in  their  respect  for  the  divine 
commands,  singular  in  their  value  for  spiritual  en¬ 
joyment.  But  need  they  be  singular  beyond  what 
truth  and  soberness  require  ?  Eccentricity  may 
indeed  raise  a  sensation  ;  it  may  provoke  inquiry 
in  the  multitude ;  but  it  will  deter  the  sober,  and 
alarm  the  considerate  -;  and  originate,  in  persons  of 
judgment,  a  doubt  as  to  the  soundness  and  stability 
of  those  who  affect  it.  And  whilst  a  conscientious 
difference  on  important  points  will  be  generally 
treated  with  respect,  and  may  even  lead  others  to 
a  more  mature  examination  of  the  subjects  at  issue ; 
eccentricity,  in  minor  matters,  will  probably  only 


ON  JIELIGTON. 


85 


excite  their  prejudice,  or  call  forth  their  pity,  or 
provoke  their  ridicule. 

It  is  of  the  more  importance  that  'vomen  should 
guard  against  mistakes  of  this  nature  ;  since,  partly 
from  the  increased  interest  evinced  by  them  on  reli¬ 
gious  subjects,  and  partly  from  the  change  that  has 
taken  place  in  their  pursuits  and  habits,  they  now 
hold  a  higher  place  in  religious  society  than  they 
ever  yet  did.  Men,  not  unfrequently,  defer  to  their 
judgment,  because  they  feel  the  importance  of  their 
suffrage.  Women  have,  in  fact,  considerable  influ¬ 
ence  upon  public  opinion  in  every  thing.  They 
draw  out,  compare,  and  publish  the  sentiments  of 
others  ;  and  frequently  add  their  own  commentary 
•  besides. 

Nor  is  the  station  which  they  enjoy  in  religious 
society  undeserved.  They  have  materially  aided  the 
cause  of  piety,  and  they  may  aid  it  still  more ;  and 
many  there  are  who,  by  their  good  sense,  their  Chris¬ 
tian  graces,  and  their  genuine  piety,  merit  all  the 
deference  which  they  receive.  They  are  real  bles¬ 
sings  in  the  circle  in  which  they  move,  and  they 
bear  this  certain  criterion,  that,  with  whatever  re¬ 
spect  they  may  be  treated,  they  are  ever  unconscious 
of  their  own  claims. 

Others  there  are  who  are  not  backward  in  pro¬ 
fession,  but  whose  influence  is  exerted  in  a  very 
different  way.  Their  religion  is  all  impulse ;  they 
are  anxious  to  be  themselves  of  importance,  and 
therefore  they  cannot  be  content  with  the  quiet 
8 


86 


FEMALE  INFLUENCE 


routine  of  ordinary  female  duties.  They  wander 
from  house  to  house,  retailing  the  spiritual  errors  of 
the  day,  feeling  the  religious  pulse,  dispensing  pre¬ 
scriptions,  and  giving  notoriety,  at  least,  to  every 
new  nostrum  which  would  impose  on  the  credulity 
of  weak  and  wayward  Christians.  And  if  they  are 
but  ill  received  by  the  vigorous  and  healthy,  they 
are  yet  too  acceptable  to  the  valetudinarian ;  and, 
going  about  with  their  little  casket  of  specifics,  they 
excite  and  foster  the  diseases  they  affect  to  cure. 

The  enthusiasm  which  thus  spends  itself  is,  at 
least,  very  questionable.  It  blazes,  indeed,  and  daz¬ 
zles  for  a  while,  but  it  is  not  the  steady  flame  which 
is  kindled  in  the  sanctuary.  Sometimes  it  is  only 
an  apology  for  piety,  mere  secular  excitement,  ro¬ 
mance,  or  vanity,  or  caprice  ;  and  sometimes  it  is 
the  defect  which  accompanies  and  deforms  religion, 
the  weed  which  springs  up  with  and  often  over¬ 
grows  it ;  which  is  mistaken  for,  and  cherished  as, 
the  genuine  plant;  and  whose  precociousness  is 
encouraged  as  a  sign  of  spiritual  maturity. 

But  very  different  is  it  in  its  produce.  It  bears 
not  the  rose  of  Sharon,  but  the  apple  of  discord ; 
not  clusters  of  the  celestial  vine,  but  spurious  ber¬ 
ries,  which  have  the  form,  but  not  the  sweetness,  of 
the  genuine  fruit. 

The  visionary  should  not  be  identified  with  the 
sober-minded  believer,  the  real  lover  of  evangelical 
truth  with  the  disciple  of  fanaticism  ;  and  the  faults 
of  the  one  should  not  be  imputed  to  the  other.  It 


ON  RELIGION. 


87 


is  on  account  of  the  harm  that  the  latter  do  to  true 
piety  that  Christians  are  so  much  concerned  for  their 
mistakes. 

For  the  irreligious  must  not  suppose  that  because 
pious  persons  lament,  and  even  censure  the  extrava¬ 
gance  of  zealots,  they  are  therefore  disposed  to  make 
common  cause  with  the  enemies  of  truth.  On  the 
contrary,  it  is  their  very  zeal  for  true  religion  that 
renders  them  jealous  for  its  sake,  that  leads  them  to 
regret  the  counterfeit,  and  to  disown  the  caricature. 

How  sad  is  it  when  those  who  ought  themselves 
to  exemplify  the  spirit  of  the  Gospel,  and  to  show 
the  genuine  result  of  its  principles,  exhibit,,  on  the 
contrary,  an  impatience  of  wholesome  instruction, 
and  a  restlessness  of  appetite,  which  is  ever  needing 
some  stimulus  to  excite  its  morbid  taste.  They  are 
then  ready  to  welcome  every  new  and  erroneous 
doctrine.  They  will  hunt  it  out  from  obscurity,  they 
will  pursue  it  to  the  remote  conventicle,  and,  for  its 
sake,  they  will  leave  the  guide  of  their  former  selec¬ 
tion  to  follow  some  unknown  teacher,  some  untaught 
and  bold  adventurer,  to  whom  they  ascribe  gifts  little 
short  of  inspiration,  and  an  almost  exclusive  know¬ 
ledge  of  divine  truth. 

These  persons  are,  indeed,  very  far  from  right. 
They  may  have  mistaken  the  way  from  the  very  first ; 
they  may  have  confounded  error  with  truth,  and 
fanaticism  with  piety.  Or,  if  they  once  were  in  a 
healthy  state,  they  have  contracted  disease.  Theirs 
;s  a  slow  fever  which  preys  upon  the  vitals  of  true 


88 


FEMALE  INFLUENCE 


religion ;  and  the  best  that  vve  can  hope  for  them  is, 
that  they  may  recover  from  their  malady.  For  their 
meagre  system  is  not  the  Gospel,  their  rapturous 
effusions  are  not  the  breathings  of  the  Divine  Spirit, 
their  circumscribed  clan  is  not  the  one  true  and 
catholic  church.  They  have  wandered  altogether 
from  the  right  fold,  and  it  is  the  voice  of  truth  alone 
that  can  bring  them  back. 

Pity  it  is  that  the  symmetrical  form  of  true  reli¬ 
gion  should  be  ever  obscured  by  the  misshapen 
image  of  fanaticism,  and  that  the  prominence  as¬ 
sumed  by  the  latter  should  conceal  her  prefect  fea¬ 
tures.  *  But  it  is  no  wonder  that  it  should  be  so  ; 
for  fanaticism  is  ever  bold,  and  courts  display.  She 
walks  unveiled,  she  tells  her  tale  in  the  street,  she 
runs  to  rich  and  poor,  to  learned  and  unlearned, 
proselytizing  some,  alarming  others,  and  raising  at 
least,  the  cry  of  party,  either  for  or  against  herself. 

How  different  is  the  quiet  step  and  modest  mien 
of  true  religion.  She  does  not  strive  nor  cry  ;  but, 
like  her  Divine  Author,  when  he  walked  on  earth, 
she  shuns  the  crowd  of  idle  gazers,  and  stops  the 
garrulous  mouth  of  fame.  Few  speak  of  her,  few 
know  her ;  she  is  found  in  the  retired  village,  or  in 
the  humble  shed,  in  the  private  circle,  or  in  the  soli¬ 
tary  chamber.  She  is  the  guide  and  friend  of  her 
who,  with  a  single  eye  and  simple  heart,  fixes  her 
regard  on  heaven  and  her  affections  upon  God. 

And  religion  will  bless  those  who  thus  submit  to 
her  influence.  She  will  bestow  on  them  a  peace 


ON  RELIGION. 


89 


which  the  world  can  never  give.  She  will  counsel 
them  in  every  emergency,  and  guide  them  in  that 
direct  course  which  is  better  than  all  the  crooked 
turns  of  worldly  policy.  She  will  so  elevate  them 
above  the  turmoils  of  life,  that,  whilst  duty  involves 
them  in  its  occupations,  they  will  not  be  harassed  or 
enslaved  by  them  ;  and  she  will  impart  to  their 
character  such  dignity,  that,  though  in  some  circles 
they  may  suffer  reproach  or  ridicule  for  its  sake, 
they  will  be,  even  there,  secretly  respected;  they 
will  be  consulted  in  difficulty  and  sought  for  in  dis¬ 
tress  ;  and  their  presence  will  be  welcomed  when 
the  friendship  of  this  world  can  afford  no  relief. 

Such  is  the  influence  of  the  religious  woman ; 
and  it  will  ever  be  exerted  in  a  right  cause.  Reli¬ 
gion  will  be  loved  and  respected  in  her ;  and  though 
she  will  be  diffident  of  h#r  own  powers,  and  retiring 
in  her  habits,  she  will  not  want  opportunity  or  means 
of  usefulness.  In  the  prosecution  of  her  quiet  and 
unobtruding  course  she  may  often  find  occasion  to 
benefit  others,  to  counsel  the  weak,  or  to  persuade 
the  wavering,  to  strengthen  the  unstable,  or  to  bring 
the  wanderer  home. 


8* 


FEMALE  DEFECTS. 


A  low  estimate  of  female  pretensions  is  certainly 
not  the  fa  alt  of  the  present  day.  Women  are,  per¬ 
haps,  sometimes  in  danger  of  being  spoilt ;  but  they 
cannot  complain  that  they  are  little  valued.  On  the 
contrary,  their  powers  are  often  too  highly  rated. 
Their  natural  defects  are  overlooked  ;  and  the  con¬ 
sideration  in  which  they  are  held,  the  influence  they 
possess,  and  the  confidence  placed  in  their  judgment, 
are  in  some  instances  disproportionate  with  their 
true  claims. 

This,  perhaps,  is  the  cause  of  their  occasionally 
aspiring  to  situations,  and  intruding  upon  offices,  for 
which  they  are  not  fitted.  They  are  betrayed  into 
an  overweening  conceit  of  their  own  powers,  and 
are  not  unwilling  to  put  them  to  the  proof.  And 
the  indulgence  with  which  their  efforts  are  in  gen¬ 
eral  treated  prevents  their  consciousness  of  failure, 
even  when  they  are  unsuccessful.  A  woman  may 
obtain  distinction  for  attempts  which  would  be  little 
to  the  credit  of  any  but  a  female  candidate ;  and  her 
sex  is  at  once  a  recommendation  and  an  apology. 

It  is,  indeed,  fair  that  she  should  be  spared  the 
severity  of  criticism ;  but  she  should  not  presume 


t  .  _  - 

FEMALE  DEFECTS.  91 

upon  indulgence.  Nature  has  assigned  her  a  subor 
dinate  place,  as  well  as  subordinate  powers ;  and  it 
is  far  better  that  she  should  feel  this,  and  should  not 
arrogate  the  superiority  of  the  other  sex,  whilst  sho 
claims  the  privileges  of  her  own. 

The  character  of  woman,  though  inferior,  is  not 
less  interesting  than  that  of  man.  On  the  contrary, 
her  very  defects  render  her  an  object  of  solicitude ; 
and  if  they  disqualify  her  for  some  situations,  they 
help  to  point  out  those  for  which  she  is  really  fitted. 

But  she  should  endeavor,  as  much  as  possible,  to 
overcome  her  faults ;  and  for  this  purpose  should 
consider  both  their  causes  and  their  consequences. 
It  is  by  knowing  where  we  are  liable  to  err,  and  the 
evils  which  our  errors  will  entail  upon  us,  that  we 
shall  be  most  likely  to  correct  and  avoid  what  is 
wrong. 

The  faults  of  women  are  almost  always  attributable 
to  weakness.  Vanity,  for  instance,  is  a  weakness  ; 
and  vanity  is  a  fault  to  which  women  are  very  liable. 
It  is  a  weakness  of  judgment  and  of  mind.  A  wo¬ 
man  is  often  vain  because  she  cannot  appreciate  true 
excellence  ;  vain  of  petty  triumphs,  because  she  can¬ 
not  estimate  greater ;  vain  of  fashionable  distinction? 
because  she  cannot  comprehend  intellectual  supe¬ 
riority  ;  vain  of  a  little  talent,  or  a  little  accomplish¬ 
ment,  because  she  cannot  even  taste  higher  pro¬ 
ficiency.  And  this  vanity  is  increased  by,  and 
identified  with,  her  love  of  approbation.  The  wish 
of  being  admired  seems  born  with  her,  and  is  de- 


92 


FEMALE  DEFECTS. 


veloped  as  soon  as  she  begins  to  act.  The  little 
peri,  who,  with  infantile  coquetry,  flutters  her  fan, 
or  threads  the  gallopade  at  the  baby  ball,  only  dis¬ 
plays  the  embryo  of  that  sentiment  which,  perhaps, 
in  after-life,  becomes  her  ruling  passion.  For,  unless 
it  be  counteracted  by  a  better  principle,  vanity  is  sure 
to  take  possession  of  the  heart.  It  is  in  woman  what 
ambition  is  in  man  :  it  maybe  a  less  dangerous,  but 
it  is  a  meaner  foible ;  and  it  is  a  form  of  self-love 
equally  jealous  and  equally  insatiate. 

The  fashionable  woman  is  generally  vain.  Though 
she  may  possess  neither  beauty  nor  wit,  yet  she  is 
vain  ;  vain  of  her  place  in  the  aristocracy  of  fashion ; 
vain  of  being  one  of  the  circle  of  exclusives  ;  vain 
of  that  modish  celebrity  which  is  so  eagerly  sought 
after  by  every  candidate  for  the  honors  of  ton. 
Vanity  is  very  evident  in  all  she  does  or  says.  She 
may  not  detail  her  conquests,  or  boast  of  the  admi¬ 
ration  she  receives.  She  may  not  weary  her  less 
distinguished  associates  by  talking  of  her  titled  ac¬ 
quaintance,  or  blush  to  speak  to  a  country  cousin. 
She  is  too  proud,  and  too  well  bred,  to  be  guilty  of 
such  mistakes.  But  still  she  is  vain;  vain  even  in 
her  good  humor  ;  vain  in  her  condescension  ;  vain 
in  her  tirade  of  fashionable  gussip ;  vain  in  her 
ignorance  of  every  thing  else.  The  frigid  welcome 
she  bestows  on  the  uninitiated,  the  stare  with  which 
she  checks  an  inconvenient  acquaintance,  are  as 
indicative  of  vanity  as  the  coquetry  she  displays  at 


FEMALE  DEFECTS. 


93 


Almack’s,  or  the  care  with  which  she  arranges  her 
coiffure  for  a  drawing-room. 

Vanity  seems  with  her  almost  an  allowed  foible. 
The  man  of  the  world  understands  it,  and  takes 
advantage  of  it ;  and  it  is  the  source  of  much  of  the 
vice  and  misery  which  deform  high  life. 

And  no  wonder ;  for  the  more  vanity  is  indulged 
the  more  uncontrollable  it  becomes.  When  it  can¬ 
not  be  gratified  it  is  restless  and  uneasy.  No  crea¬ 
ture,  for  instance,  is  more  unhappy  than  an  ex  belle. 
To  what  expedients  does  she  not  resort  to  prolong 
her  reign,  or,  at  least,  to  make  it  believed  that  she  is 
not  yet  gone  by.  And  when  she  does  vanish  like  a 
falling  star,  and  there  is  no  trace  left  of  her  glittering 
path,  vanity  still  remains,  but  only  to  torment  her. 
It  drives  her  into  the  slough  of  envy  or  the  quick¬ 
sands  of  ennui .  It  degenerates  into  hypochondriasis 
or  vents  itself  in  ill  humor. 

For  such  feelings  the  only  corrective  is  religious 
principle..  For  it  is  this  which  will  elevate  a  woman 
above  the  vanity  and  disappointment  of  the  world, 
that  will  give  her  new  interests  and  new  hopes,  and 
cause  her  to  exchange  the  fatiguing  and  heartless 
amusements,  which  she  once  deemed  essential,  for 
real  contentment  and  lasting  peace.  What  a  pity, 
then,  that  she  should  not  apply  to  this  her  only 
remedy,  seek  in  it  the  solace  that  she  needs,  and  be¬ 
come,  through  its  transforming  influence,  at  once 
useful  and  happy. 

But  vanity  is  by  no  means  confined  to  fashionable 


94 


FEMALE  DEFECTS. 


life  ;  even  cultivated  minds  are  not  exempt  from  it ; 
and  though  the  Blue  Stocking  Club  exists  no  longer, 
women  are  not  proof  against  the  vanity  of  letters. 
They  have,  indeed,  in  general,  but  little  cause  to  be 
vain  on  this  head,  but  it  is  because  they  have  so 
little  that  they  are  so.  The  reputation  of  being  a 
clever  woman  is  easily  obtained.  Less  "than  a 
schoolboy’s  learning  is  sufficient  to  confer  it :  Mi¬ 
nerva’s  pretty  votaress  lisps  a  page  of  Virgil,  spells 
an  ode  of  Pindar,  and  is  thought  a  prodigy  of 
learning. 

It  is  not,  indeed,  those  who  know  most  who  are 
the  most  accessible  to  vanity.  On  the  contrary,  the 
really  well-informed  woman  feels  the  folly  of  pre¬ 
tension,  and  shows  her  good  sense  by  her  humility. 
But  the  wish  of  being  remarkable  in  some  way  is  a 
temptation  to  many  to  diverge  from  their  sphere,  and 
court  distinction  even  at  the  price  of  ridicule  or  cen¬ 
sure.  The  has  bleu  is  eager  for  notoriety,  and  avails 
herself  of  her  acquirements  only  to  secure  it.  She 
does  all  she  can  to  sustain  her  claims ;  she  accumu¬ 
lates  around  her  the  materials  of  learning,  and  her 
very  boudoir  breathes  an  academic  air.  Its  decora¬ 
tions  are  sufficient  to  proclaim  her  character ;  its 
shelves  are  filled  with  books  of  every  tongue ;  its 
tables  are  strewed  with  the  apparatus  of  science ; 
the  casket  of  jewels  is  displaced  for  the  cabinet  of 
stones  ;  and  the  hammer  and  the  alembic  occupy  the 
stand  allotted  for  the  work-box.  One  niche  glooms 
with  a  quartered  skull ;  another  is  enriched  by  a 


FEMALE  DEFECTS. 


95 


classic  statue  ;  the  easel  stands  in  the  back-ground, 
and  the  harp  is  admitted  to  complete  the  picturesque. 
And  she  herself  is  in  accordance  with  all  this 
paraphernalia ;  and  her  conversation,  dress,  and 
manner,  equally  attest  ner  eagerness  to  make  good 
her  pretensions  to  literary  notoriety. 

Now  this  is  only  another  form  of  vanity.  And  a 
literary  mania  is  by  no  means  the  refuge  of  the  old 
and  ugly ;  it  is  often  indulged  from  the  mere  wish 
of  being  eccentric,  and  of  attracting  more  than  ordi¬ 
nary  notice.  To  be  the  talk  of  a  country  town,  and 
still  more  to  be  the  wit  of  a  season,  is  to  some  the 
object  of  their  ambition.  And  then,  there  are  the 
pleasures  of  patronage.  How  delightful  to  be  the 
female  Maecenas,  to  bestow  on  one  poor  author  the 
sanction  of  your  name,  and  on  another  the  comfort 
of  a  dinner  ;  to  open  your  house  to  the  literati ;  to 
take  by  the  hand  the  half-fledged  poet  and  the  in¬ 
cipient  artist ;  to  draw  to  your  conversazione  the 
Spanish  patriot  and  the  refugee  royalist,  .the  untur- 
baned  Sultan  and  the  wandering  Greek ;  to  be 
honored  by  a  passing  visit  from  the  Lord  Chancellor, 
or  a  salutation  from  the  Great  Unknown,  or  an 
excuse  from  the  Poet-laureate  :  in  short,  to  be  the 
rendezvous  of  every  wonder  worth  seeing,  or  not\ 
worth  seeing,  in  the  literary  world. 

No  doubt  such  distinction  is  very  tempting,  and 
especially  so  when  it  may  be  gained  at  so  little  cost. 
For  it  is  quite  different  with  women  and  with  the  ' 
other  sex.  Many  a  weary  step  must  a  man  take  to 


96 


FEMALE  DEFECTS. 


gain  the  laurel ;  and  often  is  his  meed  withholden, 
even  when  fairly  earned.  But  the  female  bel  esprit 
flutters  from  one  fancy  to  another ;  writes  a  sonnet, 
skims  a  periodical,  deciphers  an  alphabet,  divides  a 
crystal,  glitters  in  an  annual ;  and  the  crown  of 
Corinne  is,  by  acclamation,  placed  upon  her  brow. 

Yet  she  is.  often  very  troublesome  when  thus 
adorned.  One  friend  must  contribute  to  her  album, 
another  to  her  hortus  siccus.  One  must  submit  to  a 
craniological  scrutiny,  another  must  inhale  a  new 
gas.  She  enters  society  ready  primed,  and  woe  to 
him  who  pulls  the  triggei.  He  is  whirled  from  the 
Hellespont  to  the  Polar  Sea,  from  the  Giaour  to  the 
Iliad ;  he  must  have  scaled  Vesuvius,  and  dived  into 
Pompeii ;  he  must  calculate  the  date  of  an  antedi¬ 
luvian  bone,  and  trace  the  zoology  of  a  fossil  tooth ; 
he  must  unravel  Dante,  and  know  Petrarch  by  heart. 

But,  notwithstanding  all  this,  the  bel  esprit  is 
courted  ;  for  there  is  an  eclat  about  her  which  is 
reflected  on  those  whom  she  persecutes  with  her 
attentions.  She  is  courted  by  the  candidate  for 
fame,  indulged  by  the  man  of  letters,  and  hated  by 
her  own  sex.  This  hatred,  indeed,  she  considers  a 
tribute  to  her  superiority ;  and  her  foible  is  the  less 
likely  to  be  corrected,  because,  when  it  is  not  en¬ 
couraged  by  others,  it  is  abundantly  supplied  from 
her  own  self-conceit.  / 

The  prevalence  of  this  defect  in  woman  is  much 
to  be  regretted.  It  spoils  many  otherwise  amiable 
characters,  and  exposes  them  to  the  censure,  and 


FEMALE  DEFECTS. 


9? 


even  contempt,  of  those  by  whom  they  ought  to  be 
respected.  But,  however  we  may  lament  its  influ¬ 
ence  in  matters  merely  connected  with  this  world,  it 
is  still  more  injurious  when  it  mixes  with  and  pol¬ 
lutes  religious  sentiment.  Nothing  can  be  more  in- 
consistent  with  the  spirit  of  the  Gospel :  and  Chris¬ 
tians  ought,  therefore,  at  once  to  reject  its  poison. 
Yet  it  is  with  difficulty  expelled.  It  often  lurks  in 
ambuscade ;  and  when  we  think  we  have  wholly 
overcome  it,  it  has,  in  fact,  effected  a  compromise. 

When  religion  is  in  fashion  the  more  frequent  is 
the  alloy  as  well  as  the  counterfeit ;  for  a  profession 
of  piety  may  be  assumed  from  the  mere  desire  for 
human  approbation ;  and  it  may  not  be  always  easy 
to  detect  the  impure  motive. 

Nor  is  it  surprising  that,  accessible  as  woman  is 
to  vanity,  it  should  sometimes  mix  in  her  holier 
duties ;  especially  as,  it  must  be  confessed,  the  pre¬ 
sent  tone  of  Christian  society  is  calculated  to  encou¬ 
rage  it.  The  young  and  beautiful  woman,  for  in¬ 
stance,  who  may  have  led  the  van  in  the  career  of 
fashion,  feels  at  length  the  vanity  and  disappointment 
of  her  former  course,  and  flies  to  religion  as  a  refuge. 
And  so  far  all  is  well.  She  has  found  the  pearl  of 
great  price — let  her  prove  its  value.  But  let  her 
prove  it,  for  a  while,  at  least,  in  the  seclusion  of  her 
own  home,  in  the  solitude  of  her  own  chamber,  and 
in  the  quiet  exercise  of  those  domestic  duties  which 
she  may  have,  for  long,  forgotten  and  neglected. 
She  may  thus  be  established  in  her  better  choice  , 
9  G 


98 


FEMALE  DEFECTS. 


1 


\ 


may  be  grounded  in  truths  of  which  she  has  hitherto 
known  but  little  ;  may  be  strengthened  against  error, 
and  be  prepared  to  let  her  light  shine  before  others. 
And  she  vwill  probably,  too,  thus  imbibe  a  taste  for 
retirement,  and  a  love  of  home,  which  is  a  far  more 
Christian-like  sentiment,  and  a  better  symptom  of 
spiritual  progress,  than  a  wish  for  publicity  and  a 
desire  of  excitement. 

But  no.  Her  partial  though  scarcely  judicious 
friends  will  not  suffer  her  to  be  at  peace.  They 
allow  her  no  probation  :  they  cannot  permit  her  to 
remain,  even  for  a  short  time,  unknown  or  unnoticed. 
The  situation  she  held  in  the  gay  she  is  immedi¬ 
ately  solicited  to  fill  in  the  religious  world ;  and  she 
finds  herself  there,  more  than  ever,  caressed  and 
courted.  She  is  urged  to  be  the  patroness  of  chari¬ 
ties,  to  take  the  first  seat  in  religious  parties  ;  she  is 
appealed  to,  as  an  oracle,  when  she  is  barely  a  no¬ 
vice  ;  and  persuaded  to  become  a  controversialist 
before  she  is  instructed  in  the  elements  of  her  faith. 
Her  casting  vote  determines  the  popularity  of  a 
preacher  ;  her  carriage  gives  tone  to  a  religious  as¬ 
sembly  ;  her  name  recommends  an  institution  ;  her 
opinion  stamps  a  book.  She  is  the  wonder  of  the 
day ;  is  pointed  at,  quoted,  panegyrized  ;  and  if  no 
open  flattery  meets  her  ear,  if  her  personal  attrac¬ 
tions  have  ceased  to  be  complimented,  the  homage 
she  receives  is  only  more  intellectual  and  refined. 
Not  that  her  former  charms  have  altogether  lost  their 
effect ;  for  it  cannot  be  denied  that  agreeable  fea- 


FEMALE  DEFECTS. 


99 


Cures  and  an  elegant  manner  have  their  weight  in 
every  society.  Simplicity,  too,  may  be  more  becom¬ 
ing  than  ornament ;  and  beauty  seldom  loses  any 
thing  by  Madonna  tresses  and  a  sombre  robe. 

Often,  alas  !  may  such  a  one  thus  become  the 
mere  idol  of  party  ;  often  may  vanity  only  change  its 
form,  and  send  forth  new  shoots,  when  it  is  thought 
to  be  eradicated.  For  what  but  vanity  leads  some 
seemingly  pious  women  to  draw  around  them  an 
exclusive  coterie ;  to  withhold  the  hand  of  fellowship 
from  all  who  do  not  belong  to  their  own  sect ;  and 
to  treat  with  strangeness,  and  even  with  neglect,  the 
experienced  and  sober-minded  Christian  ?  And 
what  but  vanity  leads  to  the  frequent  intrusion  of 
women  at  the  present  day  into  new  and  untried 
offices  ?  Must  we  not  suspect  that  where  there  is 
so  much  assumption  there  must  be  self-conceit ;  and 
that,  when  publicity  is  so  much  courted,  there  must 
be  some  eagerness  for  display  ?  And  though  we 
may  not  question  the  sincerity  of  zeal  at  once  so 
energetic  and  so  self-denying,  yet  must  we  not  la¬ 
ment  its  misdirection  and  condemn  its  officiousness  ? 
There  might,  surely,  be  equal  energy  and  less  ec¬ 
centricity,  equal  spirituality  and  more  decorum. 

Why  should  not,  for  instance,  the  female  preacher 
confine  her  exhortations  to  the  cottage,  and,  when 
she  does  deliver  them,  close  the  doors  ?  Why 
should  she  convert  her  school-room  into  a  conven¬ 
ticle,  and,  by  the  novelty  of  ,her  exhibition,  entice 
from  more  regular  service  ?  Is  it  that  the  author- 


:oo 


FEMALE  DEFECTS. 


jod  ministry  is  not  enough  ?  or  that  she  imagines 
herself  better  qualified  to  teach  ?  Is  it  that  apostolic 
order  is  obsolete  ?  or  that  female  gifts  are  reserved 
for  these  privileged  days  ?  It  may  be  that  her  man¬ 
ner  is  feminine  and  her  voice  melodious,  that  her 
doctrine  is  sound  and  her  preaching  effective.  It 
may  be  even  that  she  does  good,  that  she  excites 
attention,  and  that  those  whom  piety  would  not  bring 
to  the  church  curiosity  will  lead  to  her  meeting. 
But  might  she  not  do  good  more  quietly  ?  -Could 
she  not  do  good  without  the  admixture  of  what  is 
questionable  ?  Could  she  not  do  good  without  in¬ 
fringing  order,  offending  propriety,  exciting  discus¬ 
sion — without  giving  rise  to  censure  on  the  one 
hand,  or  encouraging,  perhaps,  rash  and  unsuccessful 
attempts  on  the  other  ?  Could  she  not  do  good  and 
be  strictly  feminine  ? 

Who  can  doubt  that  vanity  is  the  root  of  insubor¬ 
dination  and  the  hotbed  of  fanaticism  ?  It  is  vanity 
that  makes  women  set  up  to  be  teachers  when  they 
are  mere  sciolists.  It  is  vanity  that  makes  them 
despise  instruction  and  trust  to  intuition, — that  even 
leads  them  at  times  to  mistake  the  ravings  of  a  heated 
brain  for  the  gifts  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  And,  if  we 

mav  trace  to  other  sources  the  aberrations  of  the 
%/ 

present  day, — if  the  imagination,  whose  excursive¬ 
ness  is  pampered,  becomes  at  length  uncontrollable, 
if  the  love  of  novelty  is  abroad,  and  every  thing  old 
is  prejudged  and  precondemned, — still  to  vanity  must 
we,  in  part  at  least,  ascribe  the  melancholy  defections 


FEMALE  DEFECTS. 


101 


of  some  who  gave  promise  of  better  fruit.  To  it  we 
must  attribute  the  unhallowed  schisms,  the  unscrip- 
tural  heresies,  the  unauthorized  pretensions,  in  which 
women  take  so  prominent  a  part,  and  by  which  they 
give  so  much  occasion  of  offence.  They  are  puffed 
up  by  self-conceit,  they  mistake  the  impulses  of  en¬ 
thusiasm  for  revelations  from  Heaven,  and  forge 
that,  while  humility  is  the  accompaniment  of  trui 
piety,  order  is  the  unvarying  characteristic  of  the 
operations  of  the  Spirit  of  God. 

The  more  the  effects  of  vanity  are  to  be  lamented 
the  more  incumbent  is  it  on  Christians  to  check  itw 
growth.  Yet  this  is  scarcely  remembered  when  the 
poor  girl  is  taken  from  her  spindle  and  her  cottage 
to  pray  and  to  expound  in  public,  or  when  those  of 
higher  grade  are  enticed  from  their  domestic  and 
quiet  duties  by  the  glare  and  excitement  of  religious 
exhibitions. 

Neither  is  it  remembered  when  the  woman  of 
rank  is  received  with  a  deference  almost  approach¬ 
ing  to  idolatry, — when  her  every  look  and  word  are 
treasured  up  and  repeated,  when  she  is  encouraged 
to  pronounce  upon  characters  and  doctrine,  to  detail 
in  the  evening  assembly  her  morning  achievements, 
or  enlarge  in  the  class-room  on  the  experience  of 
her  closet, — when  she  may  make  her  strictures  on 
others  a  plea  for  speaking  of  her  efforts  on  their  be¬ 
half,  and  indulge  in  censoriousness  and  egotism 
under  the  cloak  of  spiritual  earnestness. 

Vanity  is  in  such  cases  the  canker  of  religion  ;  it 
9* 


102 


FEMALE  DEFECTS. 


gnaws  like  a  worm  at  the  root;  and  when  we  look 
for  the  harvest  the  fruit  is  dust  and  bitterness. 

How  anxiously  should  we  therefore  watch  its  in¬ 
roads.  How  carefully  should  we  draw  the  fence 
around  our  own  hearts.  How  especially  should  they 
by  whom  it  has  been  long  indulged  guard  against 
its  revival.  For  nothing  is  so  dangerous  as  an  old 
enemy  under  a  new  name  ;  and  religious  vanity  is 
both  more  offensive  and  more  insidious  than  any 
other.  It  is  on  this  account  that  quietness  is  so  de¬ 
sirable.  It  is  not  the  going,  round  a  circle  of  reli¬ 
gious  acquaintance,  or  the  hurrying  from  one  reli¬ 
gious  meeting  to  another,  the  discussing  with  one 
the  popular  preacher  and  with  another  the  popular 
heresy,  the  bandying  of  religion  from  mouth  to 
mouth,  that  can  promote  its  internal  growth,  or  evi¬ 
dence  its  genuineness.  Nor  even  is  an  indefatigable 
attendance  upon  congregational  services,  nor  an 
unwearied  assiduity  in  public  benevolence,  a  sure 
criterion  of  our  spiritual  state. 

Privacy  tries  the  sincerity  of  our  religion.  In 
society  is  its  strength  proved.  But  it  is  when  the 
dame  of  private  devotion  burns  without  adventitious 
excitement  that  we  may  trace  its  origin  to  Heaven. 
And  it  will  re-ascend  there.  It  will  shine  more  and 
more  unto  the  perfect  day.  It  will  mount  to  the 
throne  of  God,  and  unite  itself  to  its  parent  fountain. 

Vanity  is  very  selfish :  it  leads  us  to  seek  self  in 
every  thing ;  and  therefore,  in  proportion  as  it  is 
indulged,  kindness  and  amiability  disappear.  No- 


FEMALE  DEFECTS. 


103 


thing,  then,  is  a  greater  blemish  in  female  charac¬ 
ter  ;  for  we  love  disinterestedness  in  woman, — we 
love  to  find  in  her  warmth  of  heart  and  tender 
sympathy.  And  when,  on  the  contrary,  she  is 
anxious  only  to  distinguish  herself,  to  gain  notoriety 
by  some  means, — to  be  very  brilliant,  or  very  intel¬ 
lectual,  or  very  religious,  merely  because  such  is 
the  fashion  of  the  day, — we  cannot  but  turn  from 
her  with  disappointment,  and  feel  that,  however 
precious  the  gem  may  be  in  regard  to  quality,  there 
is  a  flaw  in  it  which  renders  it  worthless. 

Vanity  is  the  germ  of  party  spirit.  It  is  this 
which  it  would  substitute  for  true  piety  ;  for  while 
the  latter  recoils  from  it,  vanity  and  party  spirit  go 
hand  in  hand.  Flattery  is  the  coin  in  which  parti¬ 
sans  pay  their  proselytes ;  and  the  vain  person  is 
not  proof  against  its  corruption.  It  entices  silly 
women,  and  sends  them  out  to  parade  with  party 
colors,  and  in  the  mean  while  betrays  them  to  the 
enemy  at  home. 

It  is  painful  to  note  human  inconsistency.  And, 
perhaps,  it  is  in  nothing  more  evident  than  in  the 
occasional  association  of  vanity  with  superior  endow¬ 
ment.  We  see  it  disfiguring  genius  and  obscuring 
religion  ;  but  it  is  a  weakness  in  relatio  1  to  which 
example  should  furnish  not  an  apology,  but  a  warn¬ 
ing.  For  it  sometimes  so  tarnishes  excellence  that 
we  fail  to  recognise  the  intrinsic  value  of  the  latter, 
and,  overlooking  the  beauty,  are  struck  only  by  the 
blemish. 


FEMALE  DEFECTS. 


The  fickleness  of  woman  is  proverbial.  Yet  the 
reproach,  in  its  usual  acceptation,  is,  in  a  great  meas* 
ure,  undeserved ;  for  she  is  capable  of  long  and 
steady  attachment,  and  inconstancy  is  chargeable 
rather  on  the  other  sex. 

But  though  the  heart  is  not  in  fault,  the  head, 
perhaps,  is ;  and  to  inconstancy  of  opinion,  though 
not  of  affection,  women  are,  it  is  to  be  feared,  some¬ 
what  liable. 

This  proceeds,  in  great  measure,  from  incon¬ 
siderateness.  They  are  apt  to  imbibe  opinions  rashly, 
and  to  abandon  them  precipitately ;  and  they  are 
ever  ready  to  hear  and  to  adopt  whatever  has  the 
charm  of  novelty. 

The  love  of  what  is  new  is,  indeed,  natural  to  the 
sex.  In  many  of  their  pursuits  or  pleasures  novelty 
is  the  attraction.  A  new  dress,  or  a  new  song,  is 
each,  in  its  way,  thought  very  delightful.  On  the 
contrary,  nothing  is  so  ennuyant  as  sameness.  This 
is  especially  felt  by  the  woman  of  the  world.  Mo¬ 
notony  is,  above  every  thing,  the  object  of  her  dread. 
The  same  faces  weary  her — beauty  wearies  her ; 
and  sh^  ofmn  flies  from  the  country  for  no  better 


FEMALE  DEFECTS. 


105 


reason  than  because  she  is  tired  of  flowers  and  green 
fields,  and  the  unvaried  dulness  of  the  family  circle. 
Modern  ingenuity  must  therefore  be  exhausted  to 
captivate  her  fancy.  The  town  is  a  magazine  of 
novelties  ;  and  the  artist,  as  well  as  milliner,  must 
supply  the  demand. 

Unhappily,  the  same  weakness  is  sometimes  in¬ 
dulged  in  more  serious  matters.  The  appetite  is 
still  greedy,  though  the  food  is  different ;  and  the 
spiritual  novelty  is  welcomed  with  the  same  avidity 
as  once  was  the  worldly  bauble.  Women,  indeed, 
love  portents  in  every  thing.  A  wonder,  whatever 
it  be,  excites  their  interest ;  and  extravagance  seems, 
with  some,  almost  a  recommendation. 

Religious  persons,  however,  should  be  especially 
on  their  guard  against  this  foible  ;  lest  th'eir  religion 
be  identified  with  caprice,  and  be  thought  nothing 
more  than  a  paroxysm  of  devotion,  which  will  sub¬ 
side  like  any  other  fit. 

It  is  sterling  principle  alone  which  imparts  stability 
and  which  gives  truth  for  a  foundation  and  a  guide  ; 
and  she  who  is  possessed  of  it  may  be  depended  on 
alike  in  all  relations  and  circumstances.  Her  reli- 

y— ' 

gion  is  no  wayward  fancy,  no  day-dream,  no  preco¬ 
cious  and  sickly  plant,  that  springs  up  in  a  night 
and  withers  in  an  hour.  Its  growth  is  sure  and 
steady,  though  it  may  be  slow  ;  its  roots  are  deep  ; 
and  it  will,  in  time,  reach  to  Heaven. 

There  is  a  contrariety  observable  in  the  female 
mind,  for  which  allowance  is  not  always  made,  and 


106 


FEMALE  DEFECTS. 


on  which  account  the  comparative  estimate  of  the 
sexes  is  sometimes  incorrect.  Women  have  so  much 
aptitude  of  talent,  they  can  learn  so  many  things, 
and  are  so  dexterous  in  applying  their  knowledge, 
that  their  intellectual  gifts  are  by  some  overrated, 
and  regarded  as  on  a  level  with  those  of  the  other 
sex.  But  strength  and  weakness  are  often  sadly 
blended  in  the  same  individual ;  and  high  attain¬ 
ments  are  found  to  be,  in  many  women,  quite  com¬ 
patible  with. an  unsound  judgment.  We  are  startled 
at  the  incongruity,  and  are  surprised  to  see  so  much 
weakness  combined  with  so  much  acquirement ;  to 
meet  with  a  woman,  for  instance,  who  can  talk  Greek, 
without  being  able  to  act  common  sense.  But  the 
solution  is  not  difficult. 

Want  of  judgment  is,  indeed,  one  of  the  most  com¬ 
mon  defects  in  female  character  ^  and  it  is  in  dis¬ 
cernment,  rather  than  in  capacity,  that  the  inferiority 
of  woman  consists.  She  chose  wrong  at  first,  and 
liability  to  error  seems  entailed  upon  her.  We  see 
this  repeatedly  exemplified.  It  is  where  judgment 
is  required  that  she  is  most  apt  to  fail.  And  it  is 
this,  in  part,  which  renders  her  so  susceptible  of  reli¬ 
gious  error.  All  of  us  are  apt  to  identify  theoretical 
knowledge  with  spiritual  discernment ;  yet  it  is  very 
possible  to  talk  well  upon  religion,  to  quote  Scrip¬ 
ture,  to  have,  a  text  for  every  occasion,  to  read  the 
religious  miscellany  and  the  religious  controversy 
of  the  day,  and  yet  be  very  ill  grounded  in  divine 
truth.  It  is  very  possible  to  obtain  credit  for  much 


FEMALE  DEFECTS. 


107 


piety,  and  yet  to  go  wrong  on  the  very  points  on 
which  our  judgment  is  least  mistrusted.  And  it  is 
in  this  way  that  some  apparently  conscientious 
persons  not  unfrequently  mistake.  They  have  in 
religion,  as  in  other  subjects,  just  that  ready  know¬ 
ledge  which  is  always  producible,  and  which  leads 
them  to  imagine  themselves  proficients  in  theology, 
and  to  obtain  credit  for  being  so,  when,  in  fact,  they 
are  mere  babes  in  spiritual  experience. 

It  is  a  refreshment  when  we  do  meet  with  those 
— and  many  such  there  doubtless  are — who  are  free 
from  all  these  faults.  Such  persons  are  not  uncon¬ 
scious  of  their  natural  inferiority  or  of  their  individual 
defects;  but  they  labor* to  remove  the  one  and  to 
correct  the  other.  They  have  disciplined  the  mind 
in  early  youth  ;  they  have  gathered  experience  from 
the  trials  of  life  ;  and  they  afford  a  beautiful  instance 
of  steadiness  and  discretion. 

There  have  been  examples  of  female  excellence 
in  everything.  We  have  heard  of  the  heroine,  and 
of  the  female  martyr  ;  of  the  woman  of  letters,  and 
of  the  poetess.  We  are  instructed  by  the  recollec¬ 
tion  of  Cornelia  and  Blandina,^  of  the  maids  of  Or¬ 
leans  and  Saragossa ;  and  the  legend  of  Sappho 
derives  credit  from  our  living  reminiscences  of 
Baillie,  Hemans,  and  De  Stael.  But  though  these 
are  instances  of  female  superiority,  greatness  is  not 

*  A  blessed  martyr,  who,  after  having  seen  her  brother, 
a  youth  of  fifteen,  expire  in  torture,  was  herself  exposed  to 
wild  beasts. — See  Milner,  vol.  i.  chap.  vi. 


108 


FEH 


DEFECTS. 


the  characteristic  of  the  sex.  On  the  contrary,  it  is 
to  be  feared  that  littleness  of  mind  is  rather  their 
peculiarity  ;  and  it  is  one  which  the  habits  of  many 
women  do  not  tend  to  correct.  They  are  busied 
about  little  things,  vexed  by  little  cares,  anxious 
about  little  occurrences.  Some,  indeed,  unhappily, 
seem  to  live  but  for  trifles.  Theirs  is  a  youth  of 
dress,  an  old  age  of  cards  and  gossip.  The  only 
effort  they  make  in  the  way  of  duty  is  to  order  din¬ 
ner,  and  in  the  way  of  occupation  to  work  a  flower 
or  read  a  novel.  And  when  a  becoming  headdress 
or  an  agreeable  partner  have  ceased  to  be  matters 
of  interest,  they  fly  to  tittle-tattle,  as  to  their  only 
refuge  from  dulness. 

Gossip  of  all  kinds  is,  however,  equally  idle  and 
frivolous.  Whether  it  be  the  scandal  of  a  country 
town  or  of  the  great  world,  it  is  equally  idle  and 
equally  wrong ;  and  it  is  a  disgrace  to  the  gentler 
sex  that  they  are  so  universally  charged  with  the 
propensity.  Not  but  that  the  stigma  is  both  too 
generally  and  too  exclusively  applied  ;  for  there 
are  many  women  who  do  not  by  any  means  deserve 
it,  and  there  are  many  men  who  do.  And  if  the 
majority  still  be  on  the  side  of  female  delinquents, 
we  must  make  some  allowance  for  their  contracted 
sphere  and  their  want  of  important  occupation. 
True,  every  woman  may  find  plenty  to  do,  and 
every  woman  may  do  good,  and  employment  is  the 
best  prescription  for  a  restless  tongue.  But  edu¬ 
cation  and  habit  are  generally  in  fault.  There  are 
many  who  are  by  no  means  disinclined  from  useful 


FEMALE  DEFECTS. 


100 

effort,  but  who  do  not  know  how  to  commence  it ; 
and  who,  if  they  are  now  little  better  than  tattlers 
or  busy  bodies,  might  have  been  earlier  led  to 
devote  their  time  to  improving  occupation  and  active 
duty. 

Religious  gossip  is  quite  as  bad  as  any  other.  It 
can  be  by  no  means  edifying  to  be  perpetually  dis¬ 
cussing  the  spiritual  state  of  others  and  giving  our 
opinion  on  their  progress.  We  can  scarcely  indulge 
in  any  such  comments  without  being  in  some  degree 
censorious  ;  and  it  would  always  do  us  much  more 
good  quietly  to  examine  our  own  hearts  than  to  in¬ 
terfere  with  the  conduct  or  consciences  of  those 
around  us.  v 

Yet  this  is  a  propensity  in  which,  it  must  be  al¬ 
lowed,  we  are  all  occasionally  apt  to  indulge ;  and 
if  some  are  intolerant  to  every  departure  from  their 
standard  of  duty,  others  are  equally  tenacious  of 
what  they  imagine  to  be  decorum.  They  are  the 
first  to  note  indiscretions  of  every  kind  ;  to  surmise 
what  is  wrong  and  predict  what  is  unhappy.  They 
are  the  Cassandras  of  society ;  and  if  their  conver¬ 
sation  is  ever  liked,  it  is  a  justification  of  the  remark, 
that  there  is  something  not  disagreeable  in  hearing 
of  the  misfortunes  of  our  best  friends. 

There  are,  however,  comparatively  few  women 
who  deserve  such  a  reproach.  Even  those  who  are 
loo  fond  of  discussing  their  neighbors  indulge  their 
propensity,  in  general,  with  no  ill  intent.  They  do 
so,  often,  from  the  mere  love  of  talking,  and  because, 
10 


I 


' 

110  FEMALE  DEFECTS. 

when  they  have  exhausted  the  weather  and  the 
fashions,  they  are  somewhat  at  a  loss  for  subjects 
of  conversation. 

But  women  should  endeavor  to  raise  their  minds 
above  the  trifles  which  too  often  engross  them.  They 
should  consider  that  intellectual  elevation  is  the  great 
end  of  attainment ;  for  it  is  not  the  being  a  little  more 
accomplished  than  their  grandmothers  that  will  im¬ 
part  to  them  real  superiority.  They  may  multiply 
acquirements,  and  yet  be  no  wiser  than  if  their  only 
book  had  been  the  Spectator,  and  their  only  study 
the  science  of  confections. 

The  great  end  of  knowledge  is  to  learn  to  think , 
and  of  this  women  are  quite  capable.  They  are 
capable  of  moral  and  intellectual  efforts ;  and  the 
more  they  improve  their  mental  faculties,  the  more 
useful  will  they  be,  and  the  higher  will  they  rise  in 
the  social  scale. 

And  they  will,  too,  be  less  liable  to  go  wrong ; 
for  they  will  have  that  within  them  which  will  be  a 
corrective  to  their  faults  and  a  stimulus  to  their  vir¬ 
tues. 

Such  women,  though  they  may  have  their  share 
of  trial,  will  bear  up  against  misfortune,  and  will 
animate  and  bless  others.  And  their  religiqn  will 
be  so  sound  and  genuine,  that  it  will  be  their  refuge 
in  every  distress, — the  spring  of  their  comfort  and 
the  ground  of  their  hope  ;  it  will  be  liable  neither 
to  decline  nor  change,  but  will  prove  a  never-failing 
source  of  comfort  in  all  the  vicissitudes  of  life. 


/ 


ON  FEMALE  ROMANCE. 


Most  women  are  inclined  to  be  romantic.  This 
tendency  is  not  confined  to  the  young  or  to  the  beau¬ 
tiful,  to  the  intellectual  or  to  the  refined.  Every 
woman  capable  of  strong  feeling  is  susceptible  of 
romance ;  and  though  its  degree  may  depend  on 
external  circumstances,  or  education,  or  station,  or 
excitement,  it  generally  exists,  and  requires  only  a 
stimulus  for  its  development. 

Romance,^  indeed,  contributes  much  to  the  charm 
of  female  character.  Without  some  degree  of  it 
no  woman  can  be  interesting ;  and  though  its  excess 
is  a  weakness,  and  one  which  receives  but  little  in¬ 
dulgence,  there  is  nothing  truly  generous  or  disin¬ 
terested  which  does  not  imply  its  existence.  It  is 
that  poetry  of  sentiment  which  imparts  to  character 
or  incident  something  of  the  beautiful  or  the  sub¬ 
lime  ;  which  elevates  us  to  a  higher  sphere  ;  which 
gives  an  ardor  to  affection,  a  life  to  thought,  a  glow 
to  imagination  ;  and  which  lends  so  warm  and  sun¬ 
ny  a  hue  to  the  portraiture  of  life,  that  it  ceases  to 

*  This  term  has  been  objected  to  by  an  authority  to 
which  the  writer  would  respectfully  defer  ;  but  she  trust? 
that  the  context  will  sufficiently  explain  her  meaning. 


112 


ON  FEMALE  ROMANCE. 


appear  the  vulgar,  and  cold,  and  dull,  and  mono¬ 
tonous  reality  which  common  sense  alone  would 
make  it. 

But  it  is  this  opposition  between  romance  and  so¬ 
briety  that  excites  so  strong  a  prejudice  against  the 
former.  It  is  associated  in  the  minds  of  many  with 
felly  alone.  A  romantic,  silly  girl  is  the  object  of 
their  contempt ;  and  they  so  recoil  from  this  per¬ 
sonification  of  sentiment,  that  their  chief  object  seems 
to  be  to  divest  themselves  altogether  of  its  delusion. 
Life  is  to  them  a  mere  calculation ;  expediency  is 
their  maxim,  propriety  their  rule,  profit,  ease,  or 
comfort  their  aim ;  and  they  have  at  least  this  ad¬ 
vantage,  that  while  minds  of  higher  tone,  and  hearts 
of  superior  sensibility,  are  often  harassed  and  wound¬ 
ed,  and  even  withered,  in  tneir  passage  through  life  ; 
they  proceed  in  their  less  adventurous  career,  nei¬ 
ther  chilled  by  the  coldness,  nor  sickened  by  the 
meanness,  nor  disappointed  by  the  selfishness,  of  the 
world.  They  virtually  admit,  though  they  often 
theoretically  deny,  the  baseness  of  human  nature ; 
and,  strangers  to  disinterestedness  themselves,  they 
do  not  expect  to  meet  with  it  in  others.  They  are 
content  with  a  low  degree  of  enjoyment,  and  are 
thus  exempted  from  much  poignant  suffering ;  and 
it  is  only  when  the  casualties  of  life  interfere  with 
their  individual  ease  that  we  can  perceive  that  they 
are  not  altogether  insensible. 

A  good  deal  of  this  phlegmatic  disposition  exists 
in  many  who  are  capable  of  higher  feeling  Such 


ON  FEMALE  ROMANCE. 


113 


persons  are  so  afraid  of  sensibility,  that  they  repress 
in  themselves  every  thing  that  savors  of  it ;  and 
though  we  may  occasionally  detect  it  in  the  mount¬ 
ing  flush,  or  in  the  glistening  tear,  or  in  the  half- 
stifled  sigh,  it  is  in  vain  that  we  endeavor  to  elicit 
any  more  explicit  avowal.  They  are  ashamed  even 
of  what  they  do  betray ;  and  one  would  imagine 
that  the  imputation  of  sensibility  were  almost  a  re¬ 
flection  on  their  character.  They  must  not  feel,  or, 
at  least,  they  must  not  allow  that  they  feel ;  for 
feeling  has  led  so  many  persons  wrong  that  decorum 
can  be  preserved,  they  think,  only  by  indifference. 
And  they  end  in  becoming  really  as  callous  as  they 
wish  to  appear,  and  stifle  emotion  so  successfully 
that  at  length  it  ceases  to  give  them  uneasiness. 

Such  is  often  the  case  with  many  who  pass 
through  life  with  great  decorum ;  and  though  wo¬ 
men  have  naturally  more  sensibility  than  the  other 
sex,  they  too  sometimes  consider  its  indulgence  al¬ 
together  wrong.  Yet,  if  its  excess  is  foolish,  it  is 
surely  a  mistake  to  attempt  to  suppress  it  altogether  ; 
for  such  attempt  will  either  produce  a  dangerous  re¬ 
vulsion,  or,  if  successful,  will  spoil  the  character. 
One  would  rather,  almost,  that  a  woman  were  ever 
so  romantic,  than  that  she  always  thought,  and  felt, 
and  spoke  by  rule ;  and  should  deem  it  preferable 
that  her  sensibility  brought  upon  her  occasional  dis¬ 
tress,  than  that  she  always  calculated  the  degree  of 
her  feeling. 

Life  has  its  romance,  and  to  this  it  owes  much 

10*  H 


114 


ON  FEMALE  ROMANCE. 


of  its  charm.  It  is  not  that  every  woman  is  a  he¬ 
roine,  and  every  individual  history  a  novel  ^  but 
there  are  scenes  and  incidents  in  real  life  so  peculiar, 
and  often  so  poetic,  that  vve  need  not  be  indebted  to 
fiction  for  the  development  of  romance.  Christians 
will  trace  such  scenes  and  incidents  immediately  to 
Providence,  and  they  do  so  with  affectionate  and 
confiding  hearts ;  and  the  more  affecting  or  remarka¬ 
ble  these  may  be,  the  more  clearly  do  they  recognise 
the  divine  interference.  They  regard  them  as  re¬ 
membrances  of  Heaven,  to  recall  to  ihem  their  con¬ 
nection  with  it,  and  remind  them,  that  whatever 
there  may  be  to  interest  or  excite  their  feelings  here, 
there  is  infinitely  more  to  affect  and  warm  their 
hearts  in  the  glorious  prospects  beyond. 

It  is  natural  that  women,  should  be  very  suscepti¬ 
ble  to  such  impressions  ;  that  they  should  view  life 
with  almost  a  poetic  eye ;  and  that  they  should  be 
peculiarly  sensitive  to  its  vicissitudes.  And  though 
a  Quixotic  quest  after  adventures  is  as  silly  as  it  is 
vain,  and  to  invest  every  trifle  with  importance,  or 
to  see  something  marvellous  in  every  incident,  is 
equally  absurd ;  there  is  no  reason  why  the  ima¬ 
gination  should  not  grasp  whatever  is  picturesque, 
and  the  mind  dwell  upon  whatever  is  impressive, 
and  the  heart  warm  with  whatever  is  affecting  in 
the  changes  and  chances  of  our  pilgrimage.  There 
is,  indeed,  a  great  deal  of  what  is  low  and  mean  in 
all  that  is  connected  with  this  world,  quite  enough 
to  sully  the  most  glowing  picture ;  but  let  us  some- 


ON  FEMALE  ROMANCE. 


115 


times  view  life  with  its  golden  tints,  let  us  sometimes 
taste  its  ambrosial  dews,  let  us  sometimes  breathe 
its  more  ethereal  atmosphere  ;  and  let  us  do  so,  not 
as  satisfied  with  any  thing  it  can  afford,  not  as  en¬ 
tranced  by  any  of  its  illusion’s,  but  as  those  who 
catch,  even  in  this  dull  mirror,  a  shadowy  delinea¬ 
tion  of  a  brighter  world,  and  who  pant  for  what  is 
pure,  celestial,  and  eternal.  This  is  surely  better 
than  clipping  the  wings  of  imagination,  or  restrain¬ 
ing  the  impulses  of  feeling,  or  reducing  all  our  joys 
and  sorrows  to  mere  matters  of  calculation  or  of 
sense. 

They  are  indeed  to  be  pitied  who  err  in  the  op¬ 
posite  extreme — whose  happiness  or  misery  is  en¬ 
tirely  ideal ;  but  we  have  within  us  such  a  capacity 
for  both  independent  of  all  outward  circumstances, 
and  such  a  power  of  extracting  either  from  every 
circumstance,  that  it  is  surely  more  wise  to  discipline 
such  a  faculty  than  to  disallow  its  influence. 

Youth  is,  of  course,  the  season  for  romance.  Its 
buoyant  spirit  must  soar,  till  weighed  down  by  earthly 
care  It  is  in  youth  that  the  feelings  are  warm  and 
the  fancy  fresh,  and  that  there  has  been  no  blight  to 
chill  the  one  or  to  wither  the  other.  And  it  is  in 
youth  that  hope  lends  its  cheering  ray  and  love  its 
genial  influence  ;  that  our  friends  smile  upon  us,  our 
companions  do  not  cross  us,  and  our  parents  are  still 
at  hand  to  cherish  us  in  their  bosoms,  and  sympa¬ 
thize  in  all  our  young  and  ardent  feelings.  It  is 
then  that  the  world  seems  so  fair,  and  our  fellow- 


i 


116 


ON  FEMALE  ROMANCE. 


creatures  so  kind,  that  we  charge  with  spleen  any 
who  would  prepare  us  for  disappointment,  and  ac¬ 
cuse  those  of  misanthropy  who  would  warn  our  too 
confiding  hearts.  And  though  in  maturer  life  we 
may  smile  at  the  romance  of  youth,  and  lament  per¬ 
haps  its  aberrations,  yet  must  we  often  regret  the 
depth  of  our  young  emotions,  the  disinterestedness 
of  our  young  affections,  and  that  enthusiasm  of  pur¬ 
pose  which,  alas  !  we  soon  grow  too  wise  to  cherish. 

Young  women  are  peculiarly  liable  to  enthusiasm 
of  every  kind.  They  are  so  gentle,  so  tender,  so 
imaginative,  and  they  have  often  so  much  leisure  to 
indulge  in  reveries  and  ecstacies,  that  it  is  not  to  be 
wondered  at  that  they  should  be  occasionally  some¬ 
what  visionary.  Yet  their  extravagance  has  con¬ 
tributed  more  than  any  thing  else  to  bring  discredit 
upon  sentiment.  Its  affectation  often  sickens  more 
even  than  its  folly.  It  is  so  distressing  to  see  a 
young  woman  sighing,  and  weeping,  and  dreaming 
away  her  existence,  one  moment  in  a  hysteric  and 
another  in  a  faint,  always  getting  up  a  scene  or  sup¬ 
porting  a  part,  that  one  is  almost  prepared  to  accede 
to  any  tirade  against  sentiment,  the  caricature  of 
which  is  so  truly  absurd.  Young  women  should  be 
taught  the  folly  of  sentimentalism.  They  should  be 
taught,  that  though  it  is  a  very  right  thing  and  a 
very  serious  thing  to  feel,  it  is  a  very  wrong  thing 
and  a  very  silly  thing  to  be  languishing  and  affected. 
They  should  learn  to  look  at  life  through  a  faithful 
medium ;  to  see  its  long  perspective  in  all  its  true 


/ 


ON  FEMALE  ROMANCE. 


117 


variety  of  light  and  shade,  of  what  is  beautiful  and 
what  is  depressing.  And  if,  even  while  they  allow 
the  preponderance  to  the  latter,  their  eye  will  still 
seek  out  and  linger  on  some  few  bright  spots,  and 
their  young  anticipations  will  scarcely  submit  to  be 
sobered  by  any  thing  but  by  their  own  experience  ; 
they  should,  on  this  account  especially,  learn  to 
stretch  their  view  beyond  this  earthly  prospect,  and 
rest  their  sight  upon  a  far  distant  land,  where  there 
is,  indeed,  every  thing  to  transport  and  every  thing 
to  satisfy,  where  there  are  scenes  too  vivid  for  ima¬ 
gination  to  paint  and  pleasures  too  sublime  for  intel¬ 
lect  to  conceive. 

The  romance  of  youth  is  naturally  associated  with 
that  of  love  ;  and  it  is  the  intimacy  of  their  union, 
and  the  inconsequences  which  frequently  result 
from  the  latter,  that  may  in  some  degree  account  for 
the  horror  which  certain  persons  entertain  of  senti¬ 
ment.  A  romantic  girl  is  concluded  to  be  in  love, 
or  ready  to  become  so.  She  is,  in  her  own  imagi¬ 
nation,  a  lady  of  romance  ;  and  her  sensibility  is  the 
cause  of  a  thousand  follies,  if  not  of  more  serious 
aberrations.  Love  seems  to  her  such  a  pleasing 
dream ;  it  is  identified  with  so  many  soft  and  sweet 
emotions,  and  associated  with  so  many  picturesque 
and  pretty  things, — with  the  interesting  flutter  and 
the  speaking  sigh,  with  music,  and  poetry,  and  moon¬ 
light,  and  a  cottage, — that  her  foolish  heart  welcomes 
its  very  name,  and  she  courts  the  tender  passion,  till 
she  is,  or  affects  to  be,  its  victim.  And  no  wonder, 


118 


ON  FEMALE  ROMANCE. 


then,  that  she  cherishes  it,  be  it  ever  so  incongruous. 
Opposition  is  its  nourishment,  for  it  is  her  ambition 
to  be  a  heroine ;  and  though  she  might  disdain  her 
inamorato  were  he  admitted  to  her  mother’s  drawing¬ 
room,  she  will  think  him  irresistible  as  she  smiles 
on  him  from  a  garret,  and  will  nurse  and  pamper 
her  capricious  and  wayward  fancy  till  it  becomes  a 
dangerous  disease. 

And  even  without  such  excess  there  is  often  a 
great  deal  that  is  foolish  and  sentimental  in  young 
women,  which  the  modish  coquetry  and  silly  vanity 
of  the  world  tend  too  much  to  encourage.  To  be 
the  object  of  admiration  and  remark,  to  talk  over  in 
the  morning  coterie  the  flirtations  of  the  evening 
assembly,  or  to  be  absorbed  by  a  Platonic  sentiment, 
may  seem  at  the  time  very  interesting  and  poetic. 
But  these  are  often  the  beginnings  of  sorrow.  If 
love  has  rendered  many  women  very  unhappy,  and 
some  very  criminal ;  if  that  which  may  be  the  foun¬ 
tain  of  a  woman’s  joy  becomes  to  her  too  often  only 
a  source  of  misery  ;  if,  instead  of  leading  a  contented 
and  useful  life,  she  pines  away  in  chagrin,  or  lan¬ 
guishes  in  inertness,  or  becomes  at  once  an  object 
of  pity  and  of  blame  ;  this  is  often  attributable  to 
the  mere  gratification  of  a  paltry  ambition,  or  to  the 
indulgence  of  a  morbid  sentimentalism,  which  a  lit¬ 
tle  energy  and  a  little  common  sense  would  soon 
have  subdued.  She  has  talked  and  mused  herself 
into  love,  and  has  affected  the  symptoms,  till  thev 
have  really  taken  possession  of  her  heart. 


ON  FEMALE  ROMANCE. 


119 


A  little  wholesome  occupation  is  by  far  the  best 
cure  for  this  fantasy.  It  is  the  best  remedy  both  foi 
sickly  fancies  and  for  real  grief.  Persons  even  of 
superior  intelligence  and  high  religious  feeling  need 
and  experience  its  efficacy  in  the  latter  ;  and  for  the 
hypochondriasis  of  love  it  is  so  infallible  a  specific 
that  those  who  have  not  recourse  to  it  are  wilful 
suicides.  Yet  it  is  a  better  preventive  even  than  it' 
is  a  cure  ;  and  to  keep  the  mind  well  exercised,  and 
the  body  actively  engaged,  is  an  effectual  antidote 
to  the  extravagances  of  sentiment  or  the  ill  effects 
of  romantic  passion. 

Still,  however  silly  sentimentalism  may  be,  an 
attempt  to  reduce  to  cold  calculation  the  warm  affec¬ 
tions  of  youth  is  very  unwise,  as  well  as,  for  the 
most  part,  very  futile.  The  follies  of  romantic  per¬ 
sons  are  often  attributable  to  such  treatment.  It  is 
precisely  the  girl  who  has  been  daily  schooled  in 
lessons  of  mere  worldly  prudence, — who  has  been 
told  that  love  exists  only  in  the  reveries  of  poets, 
and  that  it  is  highly  indecorous  and  wrong  ever  to 
entertain  such  a  sentiment, — who  will  listen  to  the 
first  fond  tale,  and  will  give  away  her  heart  to  the 
first  bold  bidder,  and  who  will  fancy  that  there  can 
be  nothing  so  interesting  and  delightful  as  a  descent 
on  a  rope  ladder  or  a  flight  to  the  Tweed.  Or  if 
she  is  so  credulous  and  so  docile  as  to  believe  and 
follow  her  instructers,  how  certain  are  they  to' render 
her  unhappy.  They  will  lead  her  to  take  the  most 
important  step  in  life  with  the  same  indifference, 


120 


ON  FEMALE  ROMANCE. 


and  for  the  same  reasons,  as  she  would  accept  a 
partner  or  conclude  a  bargain ;  and  she  will  then 
have  to  experience  all  the  bitterness,  and  be  exposed 
to  all  the  dangers,  of  a  life  without  sympathy,  and 
of  a  union  without  affection. 

And  why  deprive  life  of  its  softest  charm,  and 
woman  of  her  loveliest  attraction  ?  Is  there  any 
sentiment  so  sweet  as  that  which  unites  those  who 
virtuously  and  truly  love ;  which  identifies  their 
hopes,  their  joys,  their  prospects  ;  which  inspires  the 
weaker  with  affiance,  the  stronger  with  sympathy ; 
which  becomes  more  pure,  more  disinterested,  more 
intense,  the  longer  it  is  experienced  ;  and  which, 
looking  beyond  the  narrow  span  of  this  earthly  exist¬ 
ence,  longs  for  its  renewal  in  a  brighter  world  ?  And 
is  there  any  thing  which  can  compensate  for  the 
want  of  such  a  sentiment  in  woman?  She  may 
amuse,  or  dazzle,  or  look  pretty ;  she  may  show  off 
well  in  a  drawing-room,  and  gratify  for  a  while  the 
vanity  that  selected  her ;  but  her  brilliancy  cannot 
compensate  for  her  indifference ;  nor  can  she  inspire 
an  exalted  sentiment  who  is  herself  incapable  of 
feeling  it.  What  but  love  can  dictate  the  amenities 
so  essential  to  domestic  happiness, — can  excuse 
mutual  faults,  can  drive  away  duiness  and  give  in¬ 
terest  to  duty,  can  lighten  every  burden  and  enhance 
every  pleasure,  can  sweeten  every  thing  bitter  and 
^  render  more  grateful  every  thing  sweet  ?  Love  is 
indeed  the  golden  thread  which  imparts  richness  and 
value  to  the  coarsest  woof ;  and  happier,  far  happier, 


ON  FEMALE  ROMANCE. - 


121 


are  they,  who,  with  love  in  their  hearts,  encounter 
many  a  shock,  and  cope  with  many  a  struggle,  than 
they  who,  soured  by  mutual  disesteem,  find  even 
their  luxurious  indolence  fatiguing,  and  their  costly 
pleasures  tasteless  and  disappointing. 

It  were  well  that  young  women  should  feel  that 
affection  is  a  thing  too  precious  to  be  thrown  away, 
and  too  serious  to  be  trifled  with.  They  may,  and 
probably  they  will,  love  ;  and,  if  the  object  be  worthy 
of  their  regard,  the  more  deep  and  sincere  the  senti¬ 
ment,  the  more  likely  is  it  to  make  them  happy. 

Such  is  indeed,  their  due  who  are  themselves  in 
earnest ;  and  minds  and  hearts  of  the  finest  tone  will 
be  the  most  jealous  of  any  thing  like  coldness.  Nor 
is  it  depth  of  sentiment  which  is  to  be  apprehended ; 
it  is  that  fickle,  shallow,  perverse,  and  silly  day¬ 
dream,  which  women  miscall  love,  whose  results  are 
so  pernicious,  and  whose  effects  on  character  are  so 
undermining.  There  is  nothing  disinterested  or 
elevating  about  it :  it  is  often  mere  vanity — the  eclat 
of  an  admirer,  the  excitement  of  a  courtship,  the 
matrimonial  equipment,  the  bridal  attendance,  the 
privilege  of  precedence,  or,  as  was  once  said  by  a 
young  and  gay  fiancee,  of  having  gloves  and  ribands 
to  match. 

There  is  a  great  deal  of  spurious  sentiment  in 
every  thing ;  and  the  affectation  or  misapplication 
of  feeling  is  far  more  prejudicial  than  its  excess. 
Thus  the  sympathy  which  works  of  fiction  excite, 
though  it  has  in  it  something  tender  and  romantic, 
11 


122 


ON  FEMALE  ROMANCE. 


by  no  means  involves  real  feeling.  The  young 
woman  who  is  versed  in  romances  will,  no  doubt, 
acquire  the  language  of  sentiment.  She  will  have 
a  sigh  and  a  tear  for  every  occasion,  a  languishing 
look  and  a  nervous  palpitation  ;  she  will  condole 
with  every  tale  of  distress,  and  be  exuberant,  at  least, 
in  her  professions  of  sympathy.  She  will  even 
imagine  it  very  pretty  and  picturesque  to  appear  in 
a  cottage,  to  drop  a  guinea  on  a  poor  man’s  table, 
and  to  receive  with  blushing  modesty  his  lavish 
thanks.  But  when  the  effort  is  really  to  be  made, 
when  she  finds  that  charity  involves  self-denial  and 
exertion,  that  she  must  rise  from  her  luxurious  couch, 
and  soil  her  silken  sandals,  and  encounter  perhaps 
rudeness  and  ingratitude  from  the  objects  of  her 
relief,  and  that  all  this  is  to  be  done  without  obser¬ 
vation  or  applause, — that  there  is  no  one  to  overhear 
her  gentle  voice,  or  to  watch  her  gliding  footsteps,  or 
to  trace  her  fairy  form  as  she  passes  down  the  vil¬ 
lage  street, — then  her  philanthropic  ardor  cools, — 
she  shrinks  from  the  painful  duty,  and  discovers 
that  what  is  very  pleasing  and  poetic  in  description 
is  very  dull  and  irksome  in  practice.  The  very 
morbidness  of  her  sensibility  is  a  bar  to  the  real 
exercise  of  benevolence  ;  she  cannot  bear  to  look 
upon  pain  ; — there  is  so -much  that  is  offensive  in 
human  misery  and  unromantic  in  its  detail,  there  is 
so  much  that  is  appalling  in  scenes  of  misery,  and 
sickness,  and  death,  that  she  recoils  from  the  mere 
observation  of  such  calamities  ;  and  she  shuts  her 


ON  FEMALE  ROMANCE.  - 


123 


eyes  and  closes  her  ears  to  genuine  distress,  from 
the  same  feelings  that  cause  her  to  scream  at  the 
approach  of  a  spider  or  faint  at  the  sight  of  blood. 

Yet  she  delights  to  nurse  imaginary  griefs,  to  live 
in  an  ideal  world,  and  so  to  pamper  her  fancy  and 
excite  her  sensibility  that  they  alone  become  to  her 
prolific  sources  of  unhappiness. 

There  is  a  romance  in  grief  which  is  highly  poetic. 
There  is  something  sublime  in  the  extremity  of  hu¬ 
man  woe.  Who  does  not  feel  its  pathos  when  he 
reads  of  Antigone  or  of  Hecuba,  of  the  daughter  of 
Aiah  or  of  the  widow  of  Nain  ?  Who  does  not  feel 
it  when  he  witnesses  or  experiences  the  too  frequent 
tragedies  of  ordinary  life  ? 

Yet  there  is  here  also  danger  in  the  indulgence 
of  sentiment.  There  may  be  a  pride  in  the  excess 
of  grief.  There  may  be  a  luxury  in  the  exuberance 
of  tears.  There  may  be  a  dreamy  trance,  in  which 
the  sufferers  find  almost  pleasure,  and  from  which 
they  will  not  descend.  And  thus  they  may  shroud 
themselves  in  their  grief,  and  discard  every  thing 
which  would  divert  them  from  its  contemplation, 
and  indulge  in  a  fond  and  sentimental  reverie, 
which  they  may  almost  imagine  it  a  desecration  to 
disturb. 

This  is  not  unfrequcntly  the  case  with  women 
whose  minds  are  sensitive  but  wreak,  and  who  seem 
to  make  a  merit  of  giving  wTay  to  sorrow.  But  it  is 
a  perversion  of  feeling,  not  its  consequence.  For 
that  sentiment  is  in  reality  most  intense  that  does 


124 


ON  FEMALE  ROMANCE. 


' 

not  indulge  itself  in  expression,  that  grief  most  affect¬ 
ing  that  is  not  selfish,  that  emotion  most  noble  and 
sublime  that  elevates,  not  to  ecstasy,  but  to  exertion, — 
that  does  not  spend  itself  in  weeping  over  a  tomb  or 
in  wailing  a  coronach,  but  sends  the  mourner  forth 
in  modest,  quiet,  unobtrusive  sorrow,  to  encounter 
again  the  trials  of  life,  and  to  fulfil  its  obligations. 


ON  FEMALE  ROMANCE. 


The  sensitive  mind  discovers  poetry  every  where. 
As  it  is  touched  with  whatever  is  affecting  in  the 
chances  of  life,  so  does  it  taste  whatever  is  picturesque 
in  the  objects  of  nature.  All  that  is  majestic  and 
lovely  here  is  to  it  a  source  of  delight,  and  helps  ii 
to  form  a  more  just  conception  of  him  who  is  the 
Author  of  so  much  beauty.  It  is  thus  that  in  the 
images  of  earth  may  be  recognised  the  tokens  of 
eternity, — in  the  canopy  of  heaven  and  the  expanse 
of  the  ocean,  in  the  setting  glories  of  the  sun  and 
the  melting  colors  of  the  rainbow,  visions  and  em¬ 
blems  of  a  brighter  world. 

And  the  emotions  thus  excited  are  very  good  for 
us.  They  are  the  dews  that  refreshen  the  heart 
and  prepare  it  for  spiritual  culture.  They  are  the 
voice  of  God  speaking  to  us  in  his  works,  and  de¬ 
manding  our  affection  and  our  service. 

The  mere  affecters  of  sentiment  have,  however,  no 
capacity  for  deep  feeling.  They  may  travel  over 
the  world  to  support  their  pretensions ;  may  scale 
the  Alpine  range,  and  tread  the  Hesperian  shore, 
and  stand  upon  the  ruins  of  the  Capitol;  but  they 
feel  no  kindling  of  spirit,  no  soft  and  sad  associa- 
11* 


I 


126  ON  FEMALE  ROMANCE. 

tions, — they^have  no  object  but  to  compose  a  jour¬ 
nal  or  to  embellish  an  album. 

Thus  it  is  sometimes  with  young  women  to  whom 
the  commonplaces  of  sentiment  are  familiar,  who  are 
fluent  in  expression  and  ready  with  their  pencil, 
who  affect  pathos  and  study  the  picturesque.  They 
have,  perhaps,  made  a  pilgrimage  to  St.  Peter’s,  or 
a  tour  to  the  Lakes ;  they  have  sailed  on  the  bay  of 
Naples,  or  have  sketched  Windermere ;  they  talk 
of  nothing  but  “  the  eternal  city,”  or  of  autumnal 
tints ;  and  we  are  alternately  wearied  by  their  bad 
drawings  and  their  worse  taste. 

Not,  however,  that  their  sentimentality  is  alto¬ 
gether  affected.  On  the  contrary,  they  often  feel  at 
the  moment  all  that  they  express  ;  and  though  their 
rhapsodies  may  be  transient,  they  are  genuine. 
Woman  is  naturally  susceptible,  and  especially  so 
when  her  imagination  is  excited,  and  when  fancy  as 
well  as  feeling  is  encouraged  to  expatiate  in  the 
region  of  romance.  It  is  for  this  reason  she  is  so 
susceptible  of  the  charms  of  verse.  Perhaps  there 
are  few  young  women  who  have  not,  at  some  time 
or  other,  invoked  the  muse,  and  who  have  not  in 
their  portfolios  the  fragments  of  an  address  to  Ph®- 
bus  or  of  an  ode  to  Cynthia. 

And  it  may  be  said  that  theirs  is  a  harmless  pas¬ 
sion*  and  at  least  does  not  deserve  our  censure. 
But  there  is  always  danger  in  fictitious  feeling.  It 
is  always  to  be  apprehended,  lest  those  devotees  of 
song  should  poetize  real  life ;  lest  the  same  exagge- 


ON  FE DIALE  KODIANCE. 


127 


ration  which  converts  a  pond  into  a  lake,  and  a 
shrubbery  into  a  forest,  should  sometimes  transform 
a  gardener  into  an  Orlando. 

Nor  does  any  thing  bring  sentiment  so  much  into 
discredit  as  its  caricature.  It  is  easy  to  assume  the 
eccentricities  of  genius,  to  affect  abstraction,  and  to 
apostrophize  the  moon.  But  one  would  almost 
rather  that  a  young  woman  had  no  poetical  taste, 
than  that  she  were  always  inditing  sonnets  or  reciting 
Lord  Byron. 

We  must  not  mistake  affectation  for  taste  in  any 
thing.  The  one  always  leads  to  silliness  and  ex¬ 
travagance,  the  other  teaches  us  to  appreciate  true 
beauty. 

It  is  the  same  with  fine  arts  as  with  poetry.  Real 
enthusiasm  in  both  generally  leads  to  excellence  ; 
but  the  affectation  of  sentiment  is  the  symptom  of  a 
weak  mind.  To  be  perpetually  discussing  Canova 
and  Chantry,  or  referring  to  the  Louvre  or  the 
Vatican,  to  be  in  ecstasies  with  every  bit  of  broken 
marble,  and  to  trace  an  original  in  every  dirty  pic¬ 
ture,  may  amaze  the  ignorant  and  credulous,  but  is, 
in  reality,  very  absurd.  They  who  know  most  can 
least  tolerate  such  pretension  ;  and  it  is  much  to  be 
regretted  when  young  persons  read,  take  lessons, 
and  travel,  not  that  they  may  acquire  what  is  valu¬ 
able  or  observe  what  is  really  important,  but  because 
it  is  fashionable  to  affect  and  display  an  interest  in 
every  subject  of  feeling  and  taste. 

Besides,  the  danger  is  lest  a  similar  extravagance 


128 


ON  FEMALE  ROMANCE. 


be  evinced  elsewhere,  and  lest  an  abuse  or  aflec- 
tation  of  sentiment  on  all  points  be  substituted  for 
real  feeling.  Nothing,  for  instance,  is  more  to  be 
apprehended  than  such  a  mistake  with  regard  to 
religion.  The  influence  of  romance,  indeed,  here  is 
very  dangerous.  Not  that  we  are  to  be  insensible 
to  the  beauty  of  the  Christian  system,  or  that  our 
perception  of  it  should  not  mix  with  and  heighten 
our  devotional  impressions ;  but  the  danger  is  lest 
we  mistake  our  admiration  of  it  for  our  reception  of 
its  truths,  and  a  mere  imaginative  excitement  for 
spiritual  fervor. 

Eloquence,  poetry,  even  music,  and  the  fine  arts, 
may  be  appliances  of  religion ;  nor,  though  we 
ought  to  be  jealous  of  their  influence,  is  it  necessary 
that  we  should  exclude  them.  The  poetry  of  Scrip¬ 
ture,  the  eloquence  and  harmony  of  nature,  our  very 
constitution,  prove  that  these  are  intended  to  be  links 
in  the  chain  which  is  to  draw  our  hearts  to  heaven. 

But,  then,  there  is  not  unfrequently  cause  to  sus¬ 
pect  that  it  is  the  poetry,  not  the  truth,  of  the  Gospel 
of  which  the  heart  is  enamored.  It  melts  under  an 
appeal,  it  is  touched  by  the  impassioned  eloquence 
of  the  pleader ;  it  yields  not  to  his  arguments,  but 
to  his  persuasion.  Could  he  have  been  equally 
pathetic  on  any  other  subject,  he  would  have  been 
equally  successful. 

Such  impressions  are  generally  transient.  They 
evaporate  in  a  few  tears  ;  and  a  compliment  to  the 


X 


I 


ON  FEMALE  ROMANCE.  129 

sermon,  and  a  complacent  recollection  of  the  sensi¬ 
bility  it  excited,  are  its  sole  result. 

But  there  may  be  a  more  permanent,  yet  equally 
illusive,  affection.  Religious  enthusiasm  is  often 
nothing  more  than  religious  romance.  It  is  the  con¬ 
sequence  of  some  vivid  impression  on  the  fancy  or 
the  feeling,  without  a  proportionate  conviction  of  the 
understanding,  or,  at  any  rate,  without  an  accurate 
knowledge  of  scriptural  truth. 

Sudden  conversions  are  on  this  account  suspicious  ; 
not  because  they  are  unlikely,  but  because  they  are 
too  often  unreal.  If  the  fire  from  heaven  has  often 
shot  like  lightning  through  the  soul,  and  at  once 
purified  and  absorbed  its  affections  ;  there  has  been, 
not  unfrequently,  a  less  ethereal  spark,  whose  bril¬ 
liancy  has  dazzled  and  misled  them.  And  women 
are  very  prone  to  be  thus  deceived.  They  are  sud¬ 
denly  struck  with  the  poetry  of  religion,  and  yield 
to  it  at  once  a  sentimental  and  enthusiastic  homage. 
And  there  is  so  much  apparent  fervor  in  their  piety 
that  we  cannot  dare  to  think  it  unreal ;  there  is  so 
much  tenderness  and  devotedness  in  their  service 
that  we  scruple  to  question  its  sincerity. 

Yet  self-deception  may  be  carried  to  a  great  ex¬ 
tent.  There  is  very  much  to  excite  in  religion ; 
there  are  the  glowing  imagery  and  the  touching 
*  simplicity  of  Scripture,  the  pathetic  story  and  the 
sublime  purpose  of  the  Gospel,  its  affecting  develop¬ 
ment  and  awful  catastrophe  ;  and  these  things  ad¬ 
dress  themselves  so  powerfully  to  the  imagination 

I 


ON  FEMALE  ROMANCE. 


130 


and  the  heart,  and,  independently  of  spiritual  influ¬ 
ence,  so  affect  them,  that  we  can  scarcely  wonder 
that  impressions  thus  excited  should  impose  on  many, 
because  they  bear  all  the  appearance  of  being  genu¬ 
ine.  Yet  they  may  be  only  the  tribute  which  sensi¬ 
tive  minds  must  pay  to  poetry  every  where  ;  and 
their  inadequacy  proves  that  Christianity  is  some¬ 
thing  more  than  a  mere  matter  of  taste  and  feeling, 
and  that  it  implies  the  operation  of  divine  grace. 

Even  where  this  grace  is  accorded,  there  is  still 
room  for  mistake.  Christians  may  not  clearly  dis¬ 
tinguish  their  own  impressions ;  they  may  not  dis¬ 
criminate  between  what  is  innate  and  what  is  im¬ 
planted  ; — between  a  constitutional  bias  and  an  in¬ 
fused  principle  ; — between  natural  sensibility  and 
religious  feeling.  And  they  may  thus  be  betrayed 
into  a  thousand  errors. 

Female  romance  finds  ample  room  for  indulgence 
in  the  religious  visions  of  the  present  day.  The 
mystic  trance,  the  unknown  tongue,  the  pretended 
miracle,  as  they  are  the  creation,  so  are  they  the 
aliment,  of  enthusiasm.  There  is  something  so  ex¬ 
citing  in  being  transported  beyond  commonplace 
incidents,  in  being  no  longer  fettered  by  physical 
possibilities,  in  being  ourselves  the  expectants,  if  not 
the  actual  recipients,  of  extraordinary  powers,  that 
one  can  scarcely  wonder  at  a  credulity  at  once  so 
flattering  and  so  delightful.  One  almost  scruples  to 
disturb  so  delicious  a  reverie,  and  to  bring  down  the 
Quietist  from  her  ambrosial  cloud ;  but  that  one 


ON  FEMALE  ROMANCE. 


131 


cannot  but  apprehend  some  danger  from  her  flight. 
Perhaps,  indeed,  it  might  be  better  to  let  her  rhap¬ 
sodize  undisturbed,  for  time  must  break  the  en¬ 
chanted  glass ;  and  if,  with  the  destruction  of  her 
visions,  reason  and  religion  resume  their  sway,  she 
vvill  be  glad  to  return  to  the  practice  of  known  duty, 
and  to  substitute  simple  truth  for  subtle  phantasies. 

Enthusiasm  is  not  unfrequently  a  mere  animal 
fever,  which  is  perpetually  nursed  by  stimulants, 
when  it  ought  to  be  allayed  by  sedatives.  It  is  a 
wandering  of  mind,  bordering  on  delirium,  which 
exaggerates  realities,  and  embodies  shadows,  and 
yet  has  a  painful  consciousness  of  its  own  aberrations. 
For  the  enthusiast  has  often  her  misgivings,  which 
are,  indeed,  the  best  symptoms  of  her  state.  They 
are  as  lucid  intervals  which  indicate  returning  rea¬ 
son.  And  happy  will  she  be  when  her  malady  sub-, 
sides ;  and  when,  instead  of  seeing  visions,  and 
hearing  voices,  and  mistaking  phantoms  for  celestial 
forms,  she  submits  once  more  to  the  simplicity  of 
Scripture,  and  walks  once  more  quietly  and  humbly 
with  her  God. 

There  are  female  visionaries  from  whom  one  can¬ 
not  but  anticipate  such  a  termination.  They  are  so 
good  and  so  sincere  ;  their  feelings  are  so  tender, 
their  hearts  so  affectionate,  and  their  piety  so  warm  ; 
they  have  so  sweet,  and  kind,  and  heavenly  a  spirit, 

<  that,  though  we  must  fear  that  they  have  erred  very 
far  from  the  truth,  we  cherish  the  persuasion  that 
they  will  soon  return.  They  deserve  our  esteem, 


132 


ON  FEMALE  ROMANCE. 


our  love,  and,  as  far  as  may  be,  our  sympathy  ;  and 
if,  in  spite  of  their  gentleness,  tfieir  creed  is  exclu¬ 
sive,  and  they  scruple  not  to  question  the  safety  of 
those  who  in  any  degree  differ  from  them  ;  let  it,  on 
the  other  hand,  be  our  care  so  to  act,  that,  in  what¬ 
ever  else  they  may  think  us  deficient,  they  may 
learn  from  us  a  lesson  of  charity. 

But  let  not  their  zeal  or  their  amiability  prevail 
with  us  to  entertain  their  errors.  It  may,  indeed, 
require  some  firmness  to  resist  them  ;  we  may  ad¬ 
mire  their  piety  and  prize  their  good  opinion  ;  we 
may  even  feel  that  their  appeal  is  not  without 
power ;  but  let  us  bring  their  doctrines  to  the  test 
of  Scripture,  and  if  they  will  not  stand  this  scrutiny 
let  nothing  prevail  on  us  to  entertain  them. 

AVe  are  safe  only  when  truth  is  the  object  of  our 
affections,  and  when  we  find  in  it  satisfaction  and 
delight.  And  surely  it  affords  enough  for  the  most 
ardent  mind.  Is  there  not  in  the  Gospel  every  thing 
that  is  sublime  ?  Is  there  not  in  God,  as  he  is  there 
revealed,  every  thing  to  engage  our  hearts  ? 

Why  then  should  we  look  for  Him  where  He  is 
not?  He  has  walked  in  the  form  of  man  ;  He  has 
spoken  in  the  language  of  earth,  and  He  now  appeals 
to  our  human  feelings,  and  asks  our  reasonable 
service. 

Religion  is,  indeed,  not  a  mere  system.  It  is  full 
of  sentiment  and  love  ;  a  sentiment  that  calms,  and 
a  love  that  occupies  the  soul.  And  happy  only  is 
the  woman  who  experiences  these  ;  who  finds  in  the 


ON  FEMALE  ROMANCE. 


m 

assuran  ;e  of  the  divine  sympathy,  and  in  her  love 
to  God,  a  cordial  to  her  spirit,  an  anodyne  to  her 
griefs,  and  a  stimulus  to  her  hopes.  Duty  then 
loses  all  its  irksomeness,  for  it  is  the  tribute  of  love ; 
and  the  Christian  rejoices  in  a  sense  of  that  union 
which  binds  her,  in  grateful  dependence,  to  the  Giver 
of  all  good. 

And  as,  though  not  insensible  to  present  blessing, 
nor  ungrateful  for  present  refreshment,  she  feels  the 
lurking  thorn  in  every  thing  connected  with  earth, 
she  therefore  dwells  with  greater  delight  on  the 
prospect  of  a  happier  world.  She  tastes  whatever 
there  is  of  God  here,  and  looks  for  the  full  and  per¬ 
fect  manifestation  of  him  in  his  immediate  presence. 


12 


I 


FEMALE  EDUCATION. 


It  is  a  good  sign  of  the  advance  of  society  when  at¬ 
tention  is  paid  to  the  education  of  women.  The 
youth  of  the  other  sex  commonly  monopolize  all  the 
care  of  a  rude  people,  and  the  female  child  is  left 
to  acquire  ao  she  may  the  little  menial  arts,  which 
are  to  be  her  perpetual  and  exclusive  employment. 
And  even  when  war  and  the  chase  have  given  place 
to  intellectual  pursuits,  it  is  long  before  woman  reaps 
the  advantage.  Her  beauty  is  still  considered  her 
sole  claim  to  regard,  and  her  mind  is  thought  inca¬ 
pable  of  culture,  or  not  worth  the  pains. 

The  increased  attention  bestowed  upon  female 
improvement  is  a  proof  of  the  superiority  of  the 
modern  to  the  ancient  civilized  world.  We  hear  of 
one  or  two  gifted  women  in  Greece  and  Rome, — 
of  Sappho,  and  of  Aspasia,  and  of  Porcia ;  but  the 
generality  were  consigned  to  the  distaff,  and  were 
never  thought  of  in  connection  with  any  more  ele¬ 
vated  employment. 

One  might  almost  say,  at  present,  that  the  error 
lies  in  the  contrary  extreme ; — not  that  too  much 
thought  or  pains  can  be  bestowed  on  female  edu¬ 
cation,  but  that  too  much  is  sometimes  attempted 
n  it,  and  too  much  expected  from  it.  Education  is 


,  -  -  -  s§Kt\ 

,1 

Y.  Slone  Knx’. 


Their  sedentary  '.ray  aflife  ’'disposes 
cv.iet  amusement  of  reading:. 


them  to  the  domes:-:- 


FEMALE  EDUCATION. 


135 


indeed  very  influential,  but  it  cannot  do  every  thing. 
It  may  mould,  but  it  seldom  transforms,  character ; 
it  may  call  forth,  but  it  cannot  originate  ;  it  improves, 
but  it  does  not  create.  In  religion,  the  Christian 
knows  that  education  can  do  nothing  without  a 
higher  influence  ;  and  in  ordinary  matters,  the  ac¬ 
curate  observer  will  confess  that  its  operation  will 
be  much  affected  by  constitutional  tone  and  natural 
capacity. 

However  contrary  to  the  theory  of  some,  it  is 
very  evident  that  there  is  an  innate  moral  and  in¬ 
tellectual  bias,  which  contributes  greatly  to  the  for¬ 
mation  of  individual  character.  It  is  in  the  mind 
as  in  the  body ;  there  is  a  peculiarity  in  each  which 
no  training  can  take  away,  which  is  observable,  not 
only  in  those  pre-eminently  distinguished,  but  in  all. 
F or  all  have  their  peculiar  aspect,  as  well  as  their  gene¬ 
ral  resemblance  ;  and  we  need  not  be  indebted  to  physi¬ 
ognomical  or  phrenological  science  for  a  truth  which 
experience  and  observation  sufficiently  discover. 

It  is,  perhaps,  one  of  the  faults  of  modern  educa¬ 
tion,  and  especially  of  that  of  women,  that  this  dif¬ 
ference  is  sometimes  overlooked.  There  are  now 
a  system  and  a  routine,  to  which  every  girl  must  be 
subjected.  A  few  years  ago,  this  was  by  some  ex¬ 
tended  even  to  bodily  discipline  ;  and  we  have  heard 
of  delicate  females  being  sent  out  with  their  brothers 
with  perforated  shoes,  that  they  might  be  inured  to 
hardships,  which  they  would  probably  iri  after-life 
never  have  to  encounter. 


136 


FEMALE  EDUCATION. 


The  folly  of  such  conduct  was  evident  from  its 
'results :  it  was  a  mania  that  lasted  only  for  a  while, 
(till  Emile  was  forgotten ;)  but  it  is  easier  to  dis¬ 
cern  a  physical  than  a  moral  error,  and  much  easier, 
too,  to  correct  it. 

We  may  often  see  instances  of  a  similar  mistake 
in  the  intellectual  treatment  of  young  people  of  the 
present  day,  especially  in  matters  of  mere  taste. 
Y et,  in  these,  we  must  allow  that  nature  is  pecu¬ 
liarly  arbitrary.  There  are  some  who  can  see  no 
beauty  in  a  Claude, — there  are  others  who  can  hear 
unmoved  the  death-song  of  Weber ;  still  music  and 
painting  are  deemed  so  essential,  that  every  young 
r.oman  must  handle  a  pencil  or  strike  the  harp. 
How  many  a  poor  girl  is,  in  this  way,  doomed  to 
symphonize  three  or  four  hours  every  day,  to  play 
without  an  ear,  and  to  sing  without  a  voice  ;  and, 
after  many  years  of  irksome  drudgery,  m  cdscover 
that  her  soul  was  not  tuned  to  harmony,  and  that 
all  her  meritorious  exertions  cannot  supply  natural 
defects. 

Music  and  drawing  are  very  delightful,  but  they 
are  surely  not  essential.  A  woman  may  be  very 
good,  very  clever,  very  pleasing,  without  them  ;  nay, 
much  more  pleasing  than  when  she  is,  as  it  were, 
forced  into  their  service,  and  made  to  affect  a  taste. 
For  then  there  will  be  a  perpetual  display  of  some 
labored  studio,  or  some  double  octave  bravura,  the 
only  merit  of  which  is  its  painful  execution.  And 
for  a  woman  to  play  and  draw  only  a  little  is  equally 


FEMALE  EDUCATION. 


13? 


distressing  to  her  friends  and  to  herself;  for  they 
are  constrained  to  admire,  and  she  to  execute,  in  # 
spite  of  the  consciousness  of  insincerity  on  the  one 
hand,  and  of  failure  on  the  other. 

The  loss  of  time  which  these  useless  efforts  in¬ 
volve  is,  perhaps,  their  least  evil.  To  force  the  in¬ 
clination  in  things  indifferent  has  a  bad  moral  effect. 
Constrained  studies  are  seldom  successful ;  and, 
frequently,  the  error  is  universal,  and  pervades  the 
system.  Certain  things  are  to  be  acquired,  certain 
rules  observed,  whatever  be  the  ability,  taste,  or 
temper.  Natural  inferiority,  instead  of  feeling  itself 
assisted,  is,  not  unfrequently,  wholly  discouraged  by 
this  unbending  routine  ;  and  the  innate  and  peculiar 
talent,  if  such  there  be,  languishes  for  want  of  cul¬ 
ture.  Still  more  lamentable  is  the  effect  on  dispo¬ 
sition.  How  often  is  irritability  the  consequence 
of  wounded  sensitiveness,  and  how  often'  does  the 
severity  which  may  he  requisite  to  restrain  the  im¬ 
petuous,  freeze  and  paralyse  the  diffident  and  tender. 

'  / 

Many  a  gentle  spirit  has  been  crushed,  many  a 
feeling  heart  chilled,  many  an  amiable  disposition 
rendered  fretful  and  peevish,  by  a  want  of  sympathy 
in  instructers. 

It  would  be  far  more  wise  to  study  the  peculiari¬ 
ties  of  temper  and  talent,  and  to  adapt  our  treatment 
accordingly.  It  is  surely  not  desirable  that  the 
characters  of  all  young  women  should  be  as  uniform 
as  is  their  handwriting ;  and  it  is  as  absurd  to  at¬ 
tempt  universal  conformity  of  mind  as  it  is  of  mode. 

12* 


✓ 


138 


FEMALE  EDUCATION. 


To  make  no  allowance  for  moral  and  intellectual 
difference  is,  indeed,  a  greater  mistake  than  for  a 
little  woman  to  adopt  a  French  coiffure,  or  a  plain 
woman  a  conspicuous  dress,  merely  in  compliance 
with  fashion. 

On  the  other  hand,  how  much  may  be  effected 
by  a  tender  and  judicious  treatment.  How  may 
the  timid  be  encouraged,  and  the  languid  stimulated, 
and  the  latent  spark  of  genius  fanned.  How  may 
even  the  dull  be  roused  to  exertion,  and  be  made  to 
feel,  at  least,  sympathy  in  what  is  refined  and  in¬ 
tellectual. 

Adaptation  is  indeed  the  great  secret  in  education  ; 
— adaptation  to  circumstances  as  well  as  to  character, 
and,  one  might  almost  say,  to  inclination  as  well  as 
to  ability.  For  though  there  is  a  danger  in  over- 
indulgence  in  this  respect,  there  is  even  more  dan¬ 
ger  in  over-restraint ;  and  if  the  favorite  exercise 
of  the  mind  be  not  prejudicial,  it  is  surely  better  to 
encourage  and  direct  than  to  thwart  it.  It  is  as  in 
the  choice  of  a  profession ; — few  rise  to  eminence 
whose  wishes  are  counteracted, — so  few  attain  pro¬ 
ficiency  in  that  to  which  they  are  strongly  disin¬ 
clined.  And  though  this  may  be  but  an  excuse  for 
indolence,  and,  of  course,’  must,  in  such  cases,  be 
overruled  ;  it  may,  too,  be  an  intuitive  instinct, 
whose  intimations,  at  least,  merit  attention.  For  as 
the  appetite  often  points  out  what  the  stomach  will 
bear,  so  the  taste  often  indicates  what  the  intellect 
will  master. 


FEMALE  EDUCATION. 


139 


The  education  of  women  should,  of  course,  be 
strictly  feminine.  Yet  this  affects  more  the  manner 
than  the  matter  of  instruction ;  for  it  is  not  so  much 
what  is  taught,  as  the  way  in  which  it  is  taught, 
and-the  use  ■  made  of  it,  that  determines  character. 
Knowledge,  in  itself,  has  no  tendency  to  make  a 
woman  unfeminine,  any  more  than  it  has  to  make 
a  man  proud ;  but  it  is  the  self-sufficiency  which  is 
sometimes  instilled  as  its  accompaniment  which  pro¬ 
duces  assumption  and  conceit  in  the  one  case,  and 
arrogance  in  the  other. 

With  regard,  indeed,  to  instruction,  it  is  very  im¬ 
portant  that  reason,  as  well  as  memory,  should  be 
brought  into  play.  Every  one  is  aware  how  often 
lessons  are  learnt  merely  by  rote  ;  and  as  an  anti¬ 
dote  to  this,  many  useful  class  books  have  been 
added  to  our  youthful  libraries ;  but  the  principle 
that  has  given  rise  to  these  admits  of  a  much  wider 
application  than  we  at  first  imagine.  For  instance, 
we  put  into  our  children’s  hands  some  of  the  popu¬ 
lar  compendiums,  of  the  utility  of  which,  both  as 
aids  and  lures  to  attainment,  so  much  is  said ;  and 
we  are  presently  surprised  by  their  acquaintance 
with  events  and  names,  and  are  sometimes  even 
made  to  blush  at  our  own  comparative  ignorance  ; 
but  all  this  may  be  effected,  and  yet  the  little  learn¬ 
ers  may  be  no  better  than  mere  parrots.  For  Pin- 

i 

nock’s  books,  and  Gall’s  books,  will  never  of  them¬ 
selves  educate  them,  since  broken  catechisms  may 
be  acquired  as  mechanically  as  the  less  simple  forms ; 


no 


FEMALE  EDUCATION. 


the  onus  of  teaching  must  still  rest  with  ourselves ; 
and  we  shall  be  sadly  disappointed  in  the  result  of 
any  mode  of  instruction  which  does  not  call  forth 
the  reasoning  faculties. 

We  do  indeed  but  little  if  we  do  not  induce  our 
children  to  think,  to  compare,  and  to  apply; — to 
draw  religious  and  moral  inferences  ; — and,  in  short, 
to  extract  from  nature,  from  history,  and  from  every 
thing  they  see,  read,  or  experience,  lessons  which 
will  guide  their  future  conduct,  and  promote  their 
everlasting  welfare ;  and  this  especially  with  regard 
to  girls.  For  by  such  intellectual  discipline  we 
shall  best  correct  one  great  defect  in  female  charac¬ 
ter  ;  and  shall  make  our  daughters  not  only  linguists, 
historians,  naturalists,  but  thinkers  ;  capable  of  ap¬ 
plying  their  minds  to  any  subject,  and  of  turning 
each  to  good  account. 

It  is  thus,  too,  that  every  acquirement  may  be 
made  useful.  Even  accomplishment  may  be  a 
means  of  strengthening  the  mind  ;  for  the  sciences 
of  music  and  drawing  cannot  be  acquired  without 
much  thought;  and  the  study  of  Crotch  and  Wood 
may  be  made  as  subservient  to  the  intellectual  im¬ 
provement  of  our  girls,  as  Aristotle  and  Euclid  are 
to  that  of  our  boys. 

All  this  only  tends  to  prove  the  importance  of  per¬ 
fect  acquirement.  Such  acquirement  does  indeed 
demand  time  and  application  ;  but  it  has  this  good 
effect,  that,  while  it  satisfies  and  fixes  the  mind,  it 
does  not  cheat  it  into  a  false  estimate  of  its  own 


FEMALE  EDUCATION. 


14 


powers.  On  the  contrary,  superficial  knowledge 
dazzles  by  the  rapidity  of  its  attainment,  and,  while 
it  impresses  us  with  a  notion  of  our  own  superiority, 
leads  us  to  despise  those  who  have  travelled  bv 
slower  steps.  It  is  thus  that  young  women  some¬ 
times  entertain  an  overweening  idea  of  their  own 
talents ;  they  are,  as  the  phrase  is,  well  educated  ; 
that  is,  they  have  been  taught  a  great  many  things ; 
and  they  think  to  impress  others  with  the  same 
opinion  of  their  proficiency  with  which  they  delude 
themselves. 

It  is  indeed  no  wonder  that  young  women  should 
be  so  very  clever  now-a-days, — there  are  so  many 
helps  to  learning  and  steps  to  Parnassus.  There 
are  so  many  pioneers  to  pave  the  way,  that  it  is  a 
libel  any  longer  to  call  it  steep.  If  grammar  be  dry 
and  abstruse,  its  necessity  is  superseded  ; — if  the 
dictionary  be  irksome,  there  is  the  interlined  transla¬ 
tion  ; — if  the  classic  author  be  obscure  and  ponder¬ 
ous,  there  are  the  lucid  paraphrase  and  the  elegant 
abridgment.  Be  the  nut  ever  so  hard,  the  kernel  is 
extracted.  Our  very  babies  may  suck  the  sweets 
of  Froissart,  Robertson,  and  Hume,  and  follow 
with  infantile  curiosity  the  retreat  of  the  Ten  Thou- 
sand. 

Youth  is  now  such  a  very  busy  time.  There  are 
so  many  languages  that  must  be  learnt ;  so  many 
accomplishments  that  must  be  mastered ;  so  many 
sciences  with  which  we  must  be  familiar.  A  little 

m 

while  ago  French  was  a  rare  acquirement ;  but  what 


142 


FEMALE  EDUCATION. 


girl  now  does  not  sigh  with  Filicaja  or  weep  with 
Klopstock  ?  The  versatility  of  female  talent  is, 
indeed,  abundantly  improved.  Master  succeeds  to 
master,  and  class  to  class.  The  day  of  the  scholar, 
like  that  of  the  instructer,  is  parcelled  out  into  hours ;  - 
and  the  sixth  portion  of  each,  which  is  cribbed  by 
the  former  to  run  to  a  new  pupil,  is  not  unfrequently 
all  that  is  allowed  to  the  latter  to  prepare  for  a  new 
teacher. 

It  is  well  that  mechanics  can  assist ;  that  the  in- 

/ 

clination  of  the  hand  may  be  given  by  the  cheiro- 
plast,  and  the  intricacies  of  time  defined  by  a  pendu¬ 
lum,  and  the  problems  of  perspective  resolved  by  a 
lens.  Could  the  modern  school-room  be  preserved 
like  the  saloons  of  Pompeii,  it  might  pass  in  suc¬ 
ceeding  centuries  for  a  refined  inquisition.  There 
would  be  found  stocks  for  the  fingers,  and  pulleys 
for  the  neck,  and  weights  and  engines  of  suspicious 
form  and  questionable  purpose ;  and,  in  spite  of  all 
our  vaunts  of  philanthropy,  we  might  pass  in  future 
ages  for  the  inventors  of  ingenious  tortures. 

But  for  what  end  is  all  this  apparatus  ?  It  is  cer¬ 
tainly  very  right  that  knowledge  should  be  simpli¬ 
fied  ;  that  the  child  of  the  nineteenth  century  should 
profit  by  its  illumination ;  and  that  little  girls,  in¬ 
stead  of  poring  out  their  eyes  at  embroidered  frames, 
should  be  treated  as  moral  and  intelligent  beings. 
But  where  there  is  such  over-feeding,  is  it  possible 
that  there  can  be  digestion  ?  Where  there  is  such 


FEMALE  EDUCATION.  - 


143 


an  anxiety  to  impart  brilliancy,  is  it  not  for  display 
rather  than  for  use  ? 

It  is  quite  different  with  boys.  They  are  still 
kept,  for  the  most  part,  to  their  old  drudgery.  They 
must  still  fight  their  way  through  classic  lore,  through 
crabbed  grammars,  and  corrupt  texts  :  they  must 
still  go  to  Aristotle  for  logic,  to  Newton  for  science, 
to  Thucydides  and  to  Livy  for  history  ;  and  though 
they  are  assisted  in  their  difficult  path  by  the  labors 
of  past  and  present  generations,  they  must  still  work 
hard  before  they  can  reap  the  fruit.  And  better  far 
that  they  should  do  so ;  that  they  should  never 
a  '■ail  themselves  of  Valpy’s  translations  or  of  Ham¬ 
ilton’s  keys  ;  but  that  they  should  encounter  the  fag 
of  the  student  before  they  can  carry  off  the  glory 
of  the  scholar. 

It  would  be  well  if  the  same  principle  were  acted 
on  with  regard  to  girls;  if  their  education  were 
more  solid  and  less  flashy ;  and  if,  instead  of  sip¬ 
ping  like  butterflies  at  every  flower,  they  laid  in  a 
store  of  useful  learning  for  future  use.  For  it  is 
not  to  glitter  in  a  sunbeam,  and  display  a  ceaseless 
variety  of  gay  and 'gaudy  colors,  that  woman  should 
be  educated ;  but  to  occupy  her  station  with  grace, 
and  to  fulfil  its  duties  with  humility. 

Yet  this  is  often  too  much  forgotten  in  the  whirl 
of  employments  which  constitute  the  education  of 
many  young  women.  They  are  allowed  no  time 
to  think.  They  acquire  mechanically ;  and  the  ob¬ 
ject  proposed  to  them  is,  not  the  satisfaction  result-  * 


144 


FEMALE  EDUCATION. 


ing  from  knowledge,  or  its  intrinsic  value ;  but  to 
outvie  their  compeers,  and  to  shine  in  society. 

A  little  girl  is  in  this  way  often,  from  her  infancy, 
trained  to  exhibit.  She  competes  for  the  prize  in 
the  morning  concert,  and  glitters  in  a  silver  medal, 
the  envy  of  her  class.  In  the  evening  she  shows 
off  to  an  admiring  circle,  and  her  little  heart  dances 
time  to  her  fingers,  as  she  listens  to  the  applauding 
whispers  which  her  execution  calls  forth.  Her  in¬ 
fantile  sketches  lie  upon  her  mother’s  table ;  and 
when  she  is  summoned  from  her  school-room,  it  is 
to  play  her  last  concerto  to  Mrs.  A.,  or  to  show  her 
portfolio  to  Lady  B.  And  can  we  wonder  that 
the  same  habits  should  continue  ?  Mauvaise  honte 
will,  indeed,  seldom  incommode  her  :  she  may  think 
it  interesting  to  affect  a  tremor,  or  she  may  be  really 
disturbed  when  a  more  gifted  competitor  carries  off 
the  palm  ;  but  her  own  success  will  ever  be  the  object, 
and  she  will  be  continually  on  the  look-out  for  op¬ 
portunities  of  display.  Good  sense  or  natural  dif¬ 
fidence  may  correct  the  error ;  but  if  the  modest 
blush  ever  mantle  in  her  cheek,  if  she  ever  shrink 
from  exhibition,  it  is  not  her  education  which  is  in 
fault. 

May  we  not  to  this  system  ascribe  many  of  the 
errors  of  future  conduct  ?  May  we  not  trace  its 
effects  in  the  different  developments  of  female  vanity  ? 
Exhibition  becomes  a  habit  which  is  not  easily 
thrown  aside ;  and  its  desire  must,  in  some  way 
or  other,  be  y r  i  tied.  It  not  unb’equent.ly  continues 


FEMALE  EDUCATION. 


145 


when  a  better  principle  has  been  infused  ;  and  leads 
even  religious  women  to  step  out  of  their  sphere, 
and  to  be  as  ambitious  of  display  on  spiritual  sub¬ 
jects  as  others  are  on  worldly  ones.  And  this  it  is 
that  sometimes  makes  them  not  unwilling  to  be 
themselves  the  propagators  of  new  opinions ;  for 
they  are  more  anxious  to  attract  attention  than  scru¬ 
pulous  as  to  the  means  of  doing  so.  It  is  hard  to 
give  up  what  we  have  been  from  our  infancy  ac¬ 
customed  to  ;  to  forego  a  cordial  which  has  been  so 
perpetually  administered  ;  to  be  content  with  a  quiet 
fulfilment  of  duties  which  bring  with  them  no  noto¬ 
riety,  when  we  have  been  always  fed  by  the  stimu¬ 
lus  of  praise.  Yet  such  duties  are  a  woman’s  pro¬ 
vince,  and  for  these  she  should  be  educated.  It  is 
no  more  desirable  that  she  should  shine  in  religious 
debate  than  that  she  should  glitter  in  a  gay  assem¬ 
bly  ;  and  if  the  latter  be  vain  or  unprofitable,  the 
former  is  unsuitable  and  unfeminine. 

But  we  are  too  apt  to  overlook  the  end  of  educa¬ 
tion, — that  it  is  the  formation  of  character,  not  the 
mere  acquirement  of  knowledge,  that  is  its  legiti¬ 
mate  purpose. 

What  a  woman  knows  is  comparatively  of  little 
importance  to  what  a  woman  is.  Let  her  mind  be 
enlarged,  and  her  information  accurate  ;  let  her  ex¬ 
cel,  if  possible,  in  all  that  she  does  attempt,  and  we 
will  find  no  fault  with  her  if  her  accomplishments 
be  but  few.  How  delightful  it  is  to  meet  with  such 
a  one ;  whose  mind  is  well  stored  with  useful  in- 
13  K 


146 


FE.4ALE  EDUCATION. 


formation ;  who  is  capable  of  tasting  intellectual 
beauty,  and  of  deciding  with  discretion  in  the  emer¬ 
gencies  of  life  ;  and  who  is,  withal,  destitute  of  pre¬ 
tension.  And,  on  the  contrary,  what  a  sad  specimen 
of  folly  it  is  when  a  young  woman  is  taught  all 
conceivable  accomplishments,  and  when  their  very 
number  precludes  the  possibility  of  proficiency  in 
any.  She  can  trace  Chinese  figures  in  black  and 
white,  sketch  butterflies  in  Indian  tinting,  accomplish 
a  few  romances  on  the  guitar,  a  few  waltzes  on  the 
piano-forte  ;  she  talks  bad  French  and  worse  Italian  ; 
but  she  has  no  taste,  no  love  of  knowledge,  no  real 
desire  for  improvement ;  her  mind  is  a  mere  blank ; 
she  might  as  well  have  been  employed  (like  her 
grandmothers  of  old)  in  copying  receipts  in  half¬ 
text,  or  working  Adam  and  Eve  upon  a  sampler. 

It  is  the  same  in  every  thing.  Lessons  are  con¬ 
sidered  the  sum  of  education.  And  though  it  is 
certainly  very  right  to  have  a  memoria  technica  for 
dates,  and  a  rhyme  for  the  signs  of  the  zodiac ; 
there  is  more  to  be  learnt  in  history  than  facts,  and 
in  science  than  terms.  It  is  the  use  and  application 
of  knowledge  that  demands  our  chief  attention. 

What  a  mistake  is  the  system  we  complain  of 
with  regard  to  religion.  Yet,  even  in  serious  fami¬ 
lies,  there  is  often  too  much  of  dry  routine  in  reli¬ 
gious  instruction.  It  is  communicated  too  much  as 
a  task,  which  is  to  be  learnt,  repeated,  and  then 
thrown  aside.  Whereas  the  principle  should  per¬ 
vade  every  thing.  Religion  should  be  the  star  to 


FEMALE  EDUCATION. 


147 


gild  the  young  child’s  path,  and  to  give  zest  even  to 
her  little  pleasures.  It  should  be  the  sunbeam  to 
warm  her  tender  heart,  and  cause  it  to  expand  to¬ 
wards  its  Creator.  It  should  be  the  spring,  the 
paramount  influence,  the  guide,  the  incentive.  It 
should  be  inculcated  with  all  the  affectionate  sym¬ 
pathy  of  its  divine  Teacher,  and  applied  with  all  that 
gentle  earnestness  which  wins  and  subdues  the  in¬ 
fant  mind,  and  chains  it  with  the  cords  of  love  to 
its  instructer. 

We  may  weary  our  children  with  religious  in¬ 
struction,  but  we  shall  never  make  them  love  reli¬ 
gion  in  this  way.  The  probability  is,  that  when 
the  school-room  trammels  are  thrown  off  they  will 
throw  aside  its  lessons,  and  will  scarcely  think 
themselves  fully  emancipated  till  they  have  forgotten 
all  that  was  taught  there. 

Youth  is  the  season  for  fixing  habits.  We  are 
very  careful  that  our  children  should  acquire  no 
awkward  tricks ;  that  their  figures  should  be  cor¬ 
rectly  modelled,  their  manners  well  formed,  and 
their  movements  gracefully  regulated ;  but  we  are 
not  always  sufficiently  careful  as  to  the  habitual 
tone  and  temper  of  their  minds.  Yet  do  we  not 
find  that  the  propensities  that  are  the  soonest  ac¬ 
quired  are  always  the  most  inveterate ;  and  that  the 
bias,  the  taste,  the  complexion,  the  temperament, 
are,  for  the  most  part,  determined  in  very  early 
years  ? 

To  induce  the  love  as  well  as  the  habit  of  occu- 


148 


FEMALE  EDUCATION. 


potion,— to  excite  an  interest,  at  the  same  time  that 
we  accustom  to  study, — should  he  our  continual 
endeavor ;  and,  whilst  we  deprecate  the  charlatanism 
that  would  teach  every  thing  by  cards  and  counters, 
we  should  relieve,  as  much  as  possible,  the  irksome¬ 
ness  of  the  task.  And  this  can  only  be  done  by 
being  ourselves  in  earnest.  Nothing  is  so  infectious 
as  enthusiasm  of  all  kinds,  and  especially  to  young 
people.  Children  naturally  imbibe  the  feelings  of 
their  parents.  The  little  girl  who  is  brought  up  in 
the  country,  and  who  sees  those  around  her  inte¬ 
rested  in  its  occupations,  dreams  of  snowdrops  and 
primroses,  and  thinks  no  plaything  so  delightful  as 
a  spade  and  a  parterre.  And,  in  like  manner,  if  she 
is  sure  that  her  instructers  themselves  care  for  her 
progress,  if  she  can  believe  that  they  sympathize 
with  her,  she  naturally  shares  in  their  ardor,  and 
almost  intuitively  acquires  whatever  they  may  wish 
to  teach.  -  • 

i 

We  may  learn  in  this  from  our  divine  Instructer. 
He  became  man  that  he  might  teach  men ;  and  we 
must,  in  spirit,  identify  ourselves  with  our  children, 
if  we  would  gain  their  interest.  We  must  conde¬ 
scend  to  their  little  emotions,  sympathize  in  their 
simple  impressions,  recall  our  own  young  feelings, 
and  live  over  again  our  early  years,  if  we  would 
mould  them  to  our  wishes,  and  make  them  regard 
us  as  their  friends.  Nor  does  this  require  so  much 
devotion  as  might  be  imagined.  Some  mothers  err 
a  little  in  this  respect.  One  would  scarcely  find 


FEMALE  EDUCATION. 


149 


fault  with  a  parent  for  giving  up  too  much  time  to 
her  children  ;  yet  children  are  not  the  only  objects 
of  a  mother’s  regard,  and  by  her  making  them  so 
she  may  in  some  measure  defeat  her  own  wishes. 
The  probability  is  that  she  will  render  them  selfish 
and  dependent,  and  disqualify  them  from  coping 
with  those  who  have  been  nurtured  with  less  ten¬ 
derness.  For  as  the  skilful  gardener  knows  when 
it  is  better  that  nature  should  do  her  own  work,  so 
does  the  judicious  parent  feel  that  children  .should 
sometimes  be  left  to  try  their  own  strength,  and 
should  neither  expect  nor  need  assistance. 

It  is  the  fault  not  merely  of  indulgent,  but  of  over¬ 
anxious  parents,  to  treat  their  children  too  much  as 
first  objects.  This  is  evident  from  their  earliest 
years.  And  the  little  creatures  are  very  quick  at 
discerning  their  own  importance.  Their  sayings 
are  repeated,  their  talents  lauded,  their  pleasures 
studied.  They  are  suffered  to  interrupt  and  to  in¬ 
terfere  ;  and,  though  we  cannot  perhaps  say  that 
they  are  rude,  we  must  feel  that  they  are  very 
troublesome.  And  where  this  treatment  is  pursued 
tn  childhood,  it  is  generally  continued  in  adolescence. 
The  young  people  are  the  perpetual  theme ;  their 
success  is  blazoned  as  if  it  were  without  precedent 
— and  we  are  wearied  with  hearing  of  their  prizes 
or  their  prospects.  Yet  all  this  must  have  a  very 
bad  effect  upon  their  future  character  ;  for  they  soon 
fancy  themselves  all  that  their  partial  friends  ima¬ 
gine,  and  then  they  must  either  learn  a  bitter  les- 
13* 


150 


FEMALE  EDUCATION. 


son  from  a  harsh  and  censorious  world,  or  prop 
themselves  up  in  their  own  good  opinion  by  an  extra 
portion  of  conceit. 

It  is,  of  course,  the  first  care  of  religious  parents 
to  prepare  their  children  for  their  eternal  state  ;  but 
it  is  by  fitting  them  to  fill  their  relations  here  that 
they  will  best  educate  them  for  immortality.  Be¬ 
sides  the  mere  communication  of  religious  truth,  of 
what  importance  is  it  to  regulate  the  temper  and  to 
direct  the  mind.  How  many  pious  persons  have 
cause  to  regret  their  own  inconsistencies  ;  the  conse¬ 
quence,  perhaps,  or  irritability  contracted  in  child¬ 
hood,  which  in  maturer  years  it  is  very  difficult  to 
correct.  How  often  have  they  to  lament  their  own 
inertness,  the  natural  effect  of  early  indulgence, 
which  wastes  and  deadens  the  intellectual  faculties, 
and  disqualifies  them  for  future  effort.  And  though 
they  may  struggle  against  such  evils,  and  by  divine 
grace  may  be  able- to  overcome  them,  they  always 
find  that  bad  habits  are  their  worst  enemies,  and 
that  it  is  much  more  easy  to  discern  than  to  correct 
them. 

Amiability,  intelligence,  and  an  absence  of  affec¬ 
tation,  are  the  most  delightful  features  in  female 
character,  and  those  which,  next  to  religious  princi¬ 
ple,  it  is  the  business  of  education  to  impart.  And 
if  we  would  wish  our  children  to  be  loved  as  well 
as  admired,  and  esteemed  as  well  as  loved ;  if  we 
would  render  them  happy  here,  fortify  them  against 
the  changes  of  life,  and  fit  them  for  its  close  ;  we 


FEMALE  EDUCATION. 


151 


must  endeavor  to  engraft  these  qualities  upon  the 
solid  basis  of  Christian  truth.  Religious  parents 
will,  of  course,  always  look  to  a  higher  influence, 
and  will  feel  the  inadequacy  of  all  human  effort ; 
but  they  will,  nevertheless,  diligently  sow  the  seed, 
in  humble  hope,  or,  rather,  in  full  assurance  that  r 
will  be  watered  from  above . 


\ 


FEMALE  DUTIES. 

It  is  not  to  be  denied  that  Christianity  is  a  practical 
principle  ;  nor  is  it  to  be  denied  that  it  is  the  only 
principle  that  insures  satisfactory  practical  results. 
Its  morality  is  perfect,  because  it  is  universal,  and 
because  it  is  the  natural  consequence  of  its  truths. 

No  woman  can  fulfil  her  social  duties  without 
being  religious.  We  need  not  search  antiquity  for 
exceptions  to  this  remark.  Examples  of  female 
virtue  were  then  sufficiently  rare,  and,  where  they 
did  occur,  the  case  was  different.  The  woman  who 
throws  off  religion  now,  as  it  were,  invites  tempta¬ 
tion  ;  and  though  worldly  considerations  may  induce 
decorum  and  correctness,  these  are  only  negative 
virtues.  Even  where  natural  amiability  so  far  pre¬ 
vails  as  to  dispose  to  kind  or  benevolent  effort,  it  is 
but  a  weak  principle,  apt  to  yield  to  the  impulse  of 
selfishness,  and  influential  only  when  not  opposed 
by  any  more  potent  feeling. 

Christianity  is  practical  throughout :  it  is  so  in  its 
religious  as  well  as  in  its  rporal  obligations.  It  is 
snot  a  mere  creed,  or  a  mere  system  ;  but  a  simple, 
sincere,  practical  service;  intelligible  to  all ;  which 
all  may  render ;  and  which  approves  itself  to  the 
cons^Lncc  as  the  only  tribute  worthy  of  God. 


FEMALE  DUTIES. 


153 


Yet  the  fault  of  the  religion  of  ordinary  persons 
is  its  insincerity.  Not  that  they  are  intentionally 
disingenuous  ;  but  they  admit  a  casuistry  in  religion 
which  they  would  not  tolerate  in  any  thing  else. 

How  insincere,  for  instance,  is  that  modish  religion 
which  appears,  on  a  Sunday,  in  its  holiday  attire, 
and  of  which  no  vestige  remains  after  the  first  ser¬ 
vice  of  the  day  is  concluded  ;  or  that  periodical  reli¬ 
gion  which  looks  prim  and  demure  at  certain  sea¬ 
sons,  and  which,  having  fasted  on  Good  Friday, 
and  knelt  at  the  table  on  Easter  Sunday,  reverses 
the  popish  order,  and  keeps  its  carnival  the  ensuing 
week ;  or  that  sentimental  religion  which  sheds  a 
few  tears  at  a  moving  discourse,  and  falls  into  hys¬ 
terics  at  a  pathetic  description,  and  sighs  and  looks 
beautiful,  especially  when  the  preacher  is  young  and 
handsome,  but  which  has  no  solitary  contrition, 
feels  no  real  penitence,  and  lasts  only  to  the  church 
door ;  or  indeed  every  religion  which  does  not 
imbue  and  determine  character,  and  become,  as  it 
were,  a  second  nature,  silently  but  sensibly  influ¬ 
encing  the  detail  of  conduct. 

It  is  not  always  easy  to  detect  what  is  counterfeit. 
There  may  be  much  ardor  even  in  spurious  senti¬ 
ment.  We  may  be  struck  by  glowing  oratory, 
an  apostolic  profile,  a  melodious  voice,  a  touching 
manner.  We  may  be  so  deeply  affected  that  we 
question  not  the  genuineness  of  our  emotion ;  and 
the  excitement  may  be  repeated  till  it  becomes 
habitual  and  necessary,  and  we  cherish  it  as  we 


154 


FEMALE  DUTIES. 


would  any  other  soft  and  tender  agitation.  Yet, 
though  it  may  assume  many  different  phases,  though 
it  may  become  visionary  and  eccentric,  and  its  very 
extravagance  may  seem  to  guarantee  its  sincerity ; 
its  practical  results  are  not  such  as  to  identify  it 
with  real  feeling.  It  is  vague,  and  desultory,  and 
capricious ;  it  is  feverish  and  fickle ;  it  is  like  the 
hectic  flush,  which  outvies  in  brilliancy  the  hue  of 
health,  but  whose  very  brightness  is  symptomatic  of 
disease. 

Real  religion  is  full  of  repose.  It  is  not  indolent 
and  inactive,  but  it  is  not  restless.  Its  fervor  is  so 
calm  and  constant  that  it  attracts  little  notice.  It 
has  not  the  vividness  of  the  electric  flash,  but  it 
burns  like  the  beacon-light,  and  is  as  cheering  and 
salutary. 

Yet,  though  quiet,  it  is  earnest.  Some  women 
deprecate  the  bustle  of  busy  housewives,  and  imagine 
themselves  privileged  to  do  nothing.  And,  in  like 
manner,  some,  condemning' the  extravagance  of  a 
few  visionaries,  think  that  the  more  cold  and  formal 
their  piety,  the  better.  They  measure  it  by  its  re¬ 
moteness  from  fanaticism  ;  and,  because  they  would 
have  it  unostentatious,  they  take  care  to  conceal  it 
altogether.  They  may  be  punctilious  in  outward 
observance,  but  they  are  ever  on  their  guard  against 
excitement ;  and  from  their  extreme  care  lest  they 
should  be  led  away  by  feeling,  it  is  exceedingly 
difficult  to  discover  that  they  feel  at  all. 

Yet  these  are  the  very  persons  who  need  be  under 


I 


FEMALE  DUTIES. 


155 


no  apprehension.  They  are  too  cold-blooded  to  be 
ever  enthusiastic,  too  calculating  to  incur  risk,  too 
inert  to  be  extravagant.  They  are  so  dull,  that  to 
see  them  interested  about  any  thing  beyond  a  ques¬ 
tion  of  dress,  or  of  household  arrangement,  would 
be  a  relief.  But  they  are  as  dead  in  religion  as  in 
every  other  matter  *of  feeling  ;  and  though  they  will 
join  in  a  tirade  against  spiritual  excess,  they  are 
unimpressible  to  every  appeal  that  would  excite  to 
spiritual  fervor. 

Religion  must  be  an  absorbing  principle.  #  It  is 
not  enough  to  talk  about  it,  or  to  read  about  it,  or  to 
range  ourselves  on  one  side  or  other  of  theological 
debate.  We  may  be  such  exclusive  advocates  for 
morality,  that  we  may  seem  to  attach  almost  merit 
to  its  performance ;  or  we  may  be  so  scriptural  in 
our  language,  and  so  lucid  in  our  views,  that  none 
may  be  able  to  challenge  our  profession  ;  yet  we 
may  be  far  from  real  Christianity.  Our  zeal  for 
good  works  may,  perhaps,  be  only  a  cloak  for  practi¬ 
cal  antinomianism,  and  our  orthodoxy  may  be  merely 
speculative.  Women  have  little,  indeed,  to  do  with 
controversy  of  any  kind ;  and  though  it  is  much  the 
fashion  at  present  for  them  to  stand  in  the  front,  to 
throw  the  missiles,  and  invite  the  combat ;  it  would 
be  more  decorous,  as  well  as  more  politic,  that  they 
should  withdraw  altogether  from  the  field.  They 
may  seem  to  serve  the  tactics  of  rival  leaders  by 
skirmishing  in  the  van,  and  parties  may  thus  try 
theiv  strength  without  hazarding  tneir  honor ;  but 


\ 


156 


FEMALE  DUTIES. 


women  are,  in  reality,  but  weak  champions,  and 
nothing-  can  be  worse  for  themselves  than  to  be  thus 
engaged.  It  is  only  their  defensive  armor  that  need 
be  proof,  lest  they  should  be  harassed  even  in  their 
retired  position  ;  and  their  religion  should  be  so 
sound  and  practical,  that  though  it  does  not  render 
them  conspicuous,  it  may  insure  their  safety.  And 
they  should  be  so  blameless  in  their  conduct,  and  so 
active  in  their  discharge  of  social  duty,  that  they 
may  prove  the  genuineness  of  their  principles  ;  that 
by  these  criteria,  not  by  interference  in  what  is  al¬ 
together  unsuitable,  their  zeal  and  their  proficiency 
may  be  estimated. 

These  are  indeed  the  test  of  real  piety.  No  one 
must  fanc^r  herself  religious  who  is  careless  of  moral 
obligations.  She  may  be  perpetually  engaged  in 
the  discussion  of  duty,  and  liberal  in  her  application 
of  incentives ;  she  may  not  even  shrink  from  the 
reproach  of  religion,  nor  from  public  exertions  in  its 
behalf ;  but  she  is  greatly  in  the  wrong  if  she  ima¬ 
gines  that  any  of  these  things  can  compensate  for 
want  of  attention  to  the  minutise  of  social  conduct. 
The  source  of  religion  is  the  heart,  and  it  radiates 
through  the  system ;  and  though  its  diverging  beams 
strike  upon  remote  objects,  they  must  fall  first  on 
those  that  are  nearest  to  the  centre. 

The  domestic  circle  may  exhibit  some  of  the  most 
beautiful  developments  of  female  piety,  and  it  affords 
opportunities  to  the  youngest  Christians  to  evidence 
their  religion.  It  is,  however,  often  not  till  expe- 


FEMALE  DUTIES. 


157 


rience  teaches  the  fickleness  of  other  attachments 
that  we  prize  the  fidelity  of  family  love.  It  is  not 
till  we  see  how  small  a  matter  separates  friends ; 
how  soon  ambition  breeds  rivalry,  and  rivalry  cold¬ 
ness  and  distrust ;  that  we  rightly  estimate  that  ten¬ 
derness  which,  in  spite  of  perversity  and  neglect, 
watches  over  us,  and  is  never  weary  on  oar  behalf; 
encouraging  our  confidence,  and  welcoming  our 
affection.  It  is  not  till  we  have  experienced  the  sel¬ 
fishness  of  others  that  we  prize  the  disinterestedness 
of  our  parents.  And  sometimes,  alas  !  our  sense  of 
their  value  is  too  late.  It  is  when  they  can  no  longer 
receive,  and  we  no  longer  pay,  the  tribute  of  affec¬ 
tion.  It  is  when  they  are  beyond  the  reach  of  all 
earthly  sentiments,  and  we  are  left  to  the  cold  mer¬ 
cies  of  a  heartless  world.  Few,  perhaps,  are  the 
children  who  do  not  mourn  over  deficiencies  in  filial 
piety  ;  who  do  not  recall,  with  tender  sorrow,  the 
poor  return  they  made  to  an  ever-wakeful  love  ;  and 
who,  though  they  may  have  rendered  all  that  de¬ 
corum  required,  do  not  sicken  at  the  recollection  of 
what  they  might  have  done,  but  failed  to  do,  to 
soothe,  to  comfort,  and  make  glad  the  hearts  that 
now  have  ceased  to  beat.  And  how  sad  is  it  that 
young  Christians  should  ever  forget  or  think  light 
of  this  most  important  obligation ;  that  they  should 
ever  be  led  by  the  fascination  of  more  exciting  ser¬ 
vices  to  forget  a  duty  which  is  close  at  hand,  about 
which  there  can  be  no  question,  and  for  which  there 
may  be  no  future  opportunity.  Let  them  bear  with 
14 


158 


FEMALE  DUTIES. 


a  little  impatience,  for  it  maybe  only  over-anxiety 
for  them.  Let  them  bear  with  a  little  dulness,  for, 
if  they  had  been  damped  by  so  many  disappoint¬ 
ments,  they  would  be  dull  too.  Let  them  not  count 
a  few  sacrifices  dear,  nor  grudge  their  time,  or  their 
attention  ;  nor  neglect  to  reciprocate  the  tenderness 
which  is  lavished  and  centred  upon  them. 

Young  women  are  especially  called  to  this  de¬ 
lightful  duty.  It  is  theirs  to  fill  the  place  of  such  as 
are  earlier  summoned  from  the  parental  home ; 
sometimes  to  supply  their  deficiencies,  and  to  com¬ 
pensate  for  their  faults.  And  can  any  claim  be  more 
imperative  ?  May  not  the  minutest  attention,  affec¬ 
tionately  rendered,  be  as  much  a  fulfilment  of  duty, 
and  as  dear  to  God,  as  the  more  brilliant  displays  of 
erratic  zeal  ? 

Respect  is  the  peculiar  claim  of  parents,  and  to 
any  failure  in  this  they  are  very  sensitive.  How 
incumbent,  then,  is  it  on  children  to  render  that 
deference  which  is  as  much  a  right  on  one  side  as 
it  is  a  duty  on  the  other. 

It  is  not  a  greater  measure  of  spiritual  light  that 
can  excuse  undutiful  or  ungracious  conduct.  It  is 
not  even  the  conviction  that  we  must  sacrifice  the 
lesser  to  the  greater  duty,  and  forsake  father  and 
mother  for  the  Gospel’s  sake,  that  can  justify  our 
unnecessarily  wounding  the  feelings  of  a  parent. 
Remonstrance  itself  maybe  affectionate  and  respect¬ 
ful  ;  and  difference  of  sentiment  should  be  urged  in 
so  delicate  a  way  that  wo  mnv  V  ’east,  show  that 


FEMALE  DUTIES. 


159 


our  religion  has  taught  us  to  honor  and  value  oui 
natural  instructors. 

How  often  does  experience  give  a  useful  though 
a  somewhat  bitter  lesson.  How  often  does  it  show 
us  that  what,  perhaps,  we  once  stigmatized  as  preju¬ 
dice  and  lukewarmness,  was  only  the  result  of 
chastened  taste  and  moderated  feeling;  and  that,  if 
age  sometimes  fails  to  make  allowance  for  the  ardor 
of  youth,  it  is  the  fault  of  youth  to  defer  far  too  little 
to  the  judgment  of  age.  How  often  may  we  after¬ 
wards  find  in  the  extravagance  of  others  an  apology 
for  our  parents’  fears,  and  in  our  own  mistakes  a 
j  notification  of  thel  r  animadversions.  And  how  often 
may  young  women,  especially,  learn  that  if  they 
had  trusted  less  to  their  own  superficial  knowledge, 
and  had  listened  more  to  the  counsels  of  experience, 
— if  they  had  been  less  opinionative  and  more 
deferential, — they  wou-ld  have  spared  themselves  the 
necessity  of  much  retrograde  movement,  and  many 
painful  recollections  of  unimproved  advice. 

Filial  piety  has  ever  received  its  meed  of  appro¬ 
bation,  and  even  poetry  has  not  found  a  more  affect¬ 
ing  theme.  We  follow  with  tender  interest  the  steps 
of  the  daughter  of  CEdipus,  we  read  with  admiration 
of  the  constancy  of  Ruth,  we  dwell  with  pleasure  on 
the  piety  of  Milton’s  children,  we  delight  in  the 
legend  of  the  Siberian  exile ;  and  do  we,  in  every¬ 
day  life,  meet  with  any  more  lovely  and  amiable 
character  than  that  of  the  kind  and  dutiful  and  affec¬ 
tionate  child  ? 


160 


FEMALE  DUTIES. 


There  may  be,  indeed,  many  more  exciting  occu¬ 
pations — many  more  striking  developments  of  reli¬ 
gion — than  the  quiet  discharge  of  filial  attentions ; 
there  may  be  a  consciousness  of  much  greater  sacri¬ 
fice  in  the  exercise  of  a  diffused  benevolence  than  in 
the  routine  of  private  duty ;  but  though  the  first 
must  not  be  undervalued,  it  is  scarcely  as  certain  an 
indication  of  real  piety  as  the  other.  For  it  is  when 
we  see  religion  cementing  natural  ties  and  nurturing 
family  affection, — prescribing  the  little  kindnesses 
and  the  trifling  sacrifices  which  contribute  so  much 
/  to  domestic  comfort,— teaching  to  forego  pleasure 
and  society  for  the  sake  of  ministeting  to  infirmity 
and  cheering  the  sad  and  solitary  hour, — that  we 
feel  her  to  be  most  attractive,  and  learn  to  appreciate 
her  real  worth. 

Young  women  should  certainly  consider  domestic 
duties  as  paramount  to  every  other  social  obligation ; 
but  these  will,  in  general,  not  interfere  with  more 
extensive  usefulness.  On  the  contrary,  those  who 
are  most  exemplary  at  home  are  usually  the  best 
qualified,  and  the  most  willing,  to  do  good  on  a 
larger  scale. 

There  are  many  works  of  charity  for  which  wo¬ 
men,  and  even  young  women,  are  peculiarly  quali¬ 
fied  ;  and  it  is  therefore  the  more  to  be  lamented 
that  their  benevolence  is  not  always  judiciously  ap¬ 
plied.  What,  for  instance,  can  be  more  appropriate 
than  assisting  in  schools,  administering  to  the  sick, 
or  visiting,  or  reading  to  them  under  proper  regu- 


\ 


% 


nTT^ 


FEMALE  DUTIES. 


161 


lation  and  legitimate  guidance  ?  Women  may,  in 
this  way,  well  contribute  their  mite  of  service ;  and 
if  the  result  of  such  efforts  be  not  very  important,  it 
will,  at  least,  be  beneficial  to  themselves. 

But  is  it  right  in  them  to  assume  higher  ground, 
to  arrogate  to  themselves  the  most  important  office 
as  well  as  the  weightiest  responsibility,  and  to  en¬ 
deavor  to  supersede,  rather  than  second,  ministerial 
instruction  ?  Is  it  right  in  them  to  go  forth  as  the 
expounders  of  Holy  Writ,  as  the  liberators  of  troubled 
consciences  ;  and  afterwards,  perhaps,  to  expatiate 
on  their  own  success,  as  if  they  had  been  the  sole 
teachers  ?  Or  is  it  right  in  them  to  throw  contempt 
upon  a  sacred  office  by  dishonoring  those  who  hold 
it ;  and  to  help  to  depreciate  sanctions  which  it  is 
the  fault  of  the  present  day  far  too  lightly  to  esteem  ? 
How  much  more  amiable  it  would  be  to  respect  the 
order,  even  when  unworthily  represented,  and,  in¬ 
stead  of  giving  just  cause  of  complaint  to  authorized 
instructers  by  unkind  censures  and  unwarrantable 
interference,  to  endeavor  to  conciliate  their  sanction 
and  co-operation.  For  to  them  should  be  ever  given 
the  option,  at  least,  of  appearing  as  the  originators 
as  well  as  the  promoters  of  benevolent  designs. 

Female  exertions  should  he  always  strictly  subor¬ 
dinate,  and  especially  so  when  there  is  no  supineness 
on  the  part  of  legitimate  teachers.  Women  should 
then,  indeed,  be  scrupulously  delicate  ;  for,  as  proba¬ 
bly  there  will  be  little  assumption  of  authority  in 
such  a  case,  there  should  be  the  more  punctilious 
'  14*  L 


162 


FEMALE  DUTIES. 


deference.  Laborious  ministers  are  often  very  meek 
and  very  sensitive,  and  they  claim  on  these  accounts 
the  greater  respect ;  yet  are  they  not  the  very  per¬ 
sons  who  are  sometimes  treated  with  the  least  con¬ 
sideration  ?  Do  not  women,  even,  who  perhaps  owe 
to  them  the  very  elements  of  their  religion,  who 
have  been  encouraged  by  them  to  converse  on 
spiritual  subjects  and  allowed  to  assist  in  their  labors, 
often  think  themselves  privileged  to  criticise  what 
they  are  not  called  upon  to  judge,  to  interfere  where 
they  are  not  required,  and  to  speak  lightly  of  instruc¬ 
tions  which  they  do  not  know  how  to  appreciate  ? 
How  much  more  decorous  and  proper  is  that  conduct 
which  asks  for  guidance, — which,  in  the  distribution 
of  books  or  of  relief,  and  in  the  application  of  all 
benevolent  efforts,  is  neither  officious  nor  opinion- 
ative,  but  is  content  to  conform  to  whatever  is  pointed 
out,  and  modestly  and  quietly  to  execute  it. 

Respect  to  ministers  is  both  a  religious  and  a 
social  duty,  but  one,  unhappily,  too  little  understood 
and  practised.  It  is  not  that  enthusiastic  impulse 
which  makes  an  idol  of  every  thing  it  admires, — 
which  one  day  deifies  the  object  of  its  attachment, 
and  the  next  decries  and  deserts  him  ;  nor  is  it  that 
homage  which  talent,  or  eloquence,  or  even  some¬ 
times  superior  sanctity,  may  call  forth.  But  it  is 
respect  for  an  order  appointed  by  God,  and  a  rever¬ 
ence  for  all  that  is  lovely  and  of  good  report  in  those 
who  adorn  it.  And  it  produces  towards  such  a  con¬ 
sistent,  steady,  respectful,  and  affectionate  attach* 


I 


FEMALE  DUTIES.  163 

ment;  a  filial  feeling  with  regard  to  them,  a  sub¬ 
mission  to  their  authority,  a  deference  to  their  judg¬ 
ment,  and  a  willingness  to  receive  what  they  have 
to  impart.  It  is  a  want  of  this  sentiment  that  ren¬ 
ders  young  women  more  fastidious  than  they  are 
teachable,  fonder  of  comparing  the  merits  of  differ¬ 
ent  ministers  than  of  listening  to  their  instructions, 
and  more  ready  to  carp  at  what  they  do  not  like 
than  to  gather  good  from  what  they  hear.  It  is  a 
want  of  this  sentiment  that  makes  them  fickle  in 
their  attachments,  unsteady  in  their  creed,  ready  to 
be  ensnared  by  any  new  and  unsound  doctrine,  and 
apt  to  affect  the  heresiarch  themselves.  And  it  is 
the  same  want  that  has  sent  them,  at  times,  to  their 
spiritual  guides,  not  to  be  taught  by  them,  but  to 
convince  them  of  their  errors, — not  to  consult  them 
upon  cases  of  conscience,  but  to  enlighten  them  upon 
speculative  points. 

Yet  all  this  is  very  lamentable  ;  and  we  can  scarcely 
wonder  that  some  should  be  disposed  to  disallow  to 
women,  in  these  matters,  the  right  of  judgment  at  all, 
when  it  is  occasionally  so  much  abused.  Dogmatism 
is  bad  in  men,  but  it  is  far  worse  in  women  ;  and, 
however  it  may  be  disguised  by  a  pretty  form  and  a 
soft  manner,  it  is  a  blemish  which  at  once  strikes 
and  offends  the  eye. 

All  that  women  do  should  be  done  modestly. 
They  should  not  act  the  dictator  in  any  thing,  not 
even  in  matters  of  benevolence.  It  is  very  much 
the  fashion  to  solicit  their  patronage,  to  give  them 


164 


FEMALE  DUTIES. 


the  notoriety  of  office,  and  to  invest  them  with  a 
little  authority.  This  may  be  politic  on  some  ac¬ 
counts,  and  in  some  cases  necessary ;  but  charity, 
in  its  most  unobtrusive  form,  is  what  is  more  becom¬ 
ing  to  female  character.  Women,  at  least,  should 
never  be  meddling  or  important ;  and  if  they  must 
take  the  lead  at  female  committees,  or  preside  at 
tables  at  bazars,  they  should  do  so  with  the  least 
possible  display.  We  may  some  of  us  question  al¬ 
together  the  propriety  of  young  women  offering 
their  gay  wares  at  a  public  mart,  or  exacting  a  guinea 
for  every  bauble ;  we  may  think  that  they  might 
spend  their  time  more  profitably  than  in  making 
hearts-ease  pincushions  or  wafer-toys ;  but  if  they 
are  to  do  these  things,  let  them  do  them  without 
effort  or  affectation.  It  is  the  importance  assumed 
on  such  occasions  that  is  the  chief  cause  of  offence. 

It  should  be  always  considered  the  duty  of  women 
to  be  well  and  actively  employed ;  and  there  is 
ample  field  for  the  most  diligent.  Let  not,  therefore, 
those  who  waste  their  time  in  doing  nothing, — who 
sit  at  home  in  indolence,  reading  a  novel,  or  drawing 
a  flower,  or  embroidering  a  workbag, — excuse  their 
own  inertness  by  the  officiousness  of  others.  The 
one  is  far  more  defensible  than  the  other  ;  the  one 
may  be  moderated  or  corrected,  and  its  intention  is 
its  apology  ;  but  the  other  must  be  wholly  overcome, 
for  its  principle  is  bad.  The  higher  the  rank,  and 
the  greater  the  wealth,  the  more  important  it  is  that 
sympathy  should  be  expressed  and  charity  exercised. 


\ 


FEMALE  DUTIES. 


165 


Young  women,  of  whatever  degree,  should  never 
shrink  from  personal  effort.  Neither  should  they 
think,  when  they  do  enter  a  cottage,  or  teach  a 
school,  that  it  is  an  act  of  condescension.  It  is  cer¬ 
tainly  very  right  in  them  to  be  so  employed,  hut  it 
is  an  honor  to  them  too  ;  and  they  should  ever  re¬ 
member  that  the  greatest  privilege  that  attaches  to 
superiority  of  any  kind  is  to  render  its  inferiors 
happy  and  at  ease. 

There  is,  perhaps,  a  greater  sense  of  the  duty 
now  than  there  ever  was.  And  if  so  why  should 
there  not  be  more  effort  ?  Why  should  not  societies 
be  every  where  established  under  ministerial  sanc¬ 
tion  for  the  relief  of  the  poor  and  the  sick,  and  in¬ 
dividual  charity  be  thus  concentrated  and  applied  ? 
* 

In  the  detail  of  such  societies,  the  assistance  of  wo¬ 
men  would  often  prove  very  valuable.  They  would, 
indeed,  not  be  made  the  chief  agitators ;  they  would 
not  be  appointed  to  the  most  laborious  or  the  most 
responsible  offices ;  they  would  not  be  sent  into  dis¬ 
tricts  where  it  is  scarcely  fit  for  modest  women  to 
appear ; — but  they  would  be  directed  in  all  cases  of 
difficulty ;  and,  instead  of  rambling  about  on  a  phi¬ 
lanthropic  crusade,  they  would  have  an  assigned 
sphere  of  usefulness,  and  a  proper  and  subordinate 
duty.  The  sweet  Quakeress  has  shown  what  a 
woman  can  do.  There  would  be  found  many  such, 
if  they  were  only  judiciously  called  into  action. 

Yet  it  may  not  be  in  the  power  of  all  women  to 
devote  very  much  time  to  active  efforts.  Those 


166 


FEMALE  DUTIES. 


who  are  married  are  not  independent,  though  it  is 
very  much  the  fashion  to  consider  them  so  ;  and  to 
their  duties  at  home  all  other  social  duties  should 
be  subordinate. 

Obedience  is  a  very  small  part  of  conjugal  duty, 
and  in  most  cases  easily  performed.  .  Women  have, 
indeed,  not  much  cause  to  complain  of  their  subjec¬ 
tion  ;  for,  though  they  are  apt  very  inconsiderately 
to  deliver  up  their  right  of  self-control,  they  suffer 
from  this  rashness,  on  the  whole,  less  frequently 
than  might  be  expected.  Ill-assorted  marriages  are 
certainly  too  common ;  but,  important  as  the  union 
is,  and  thoughtlessly  as  it  is  often  contracted,  it  is 
only  wonderful  that  there  should  not  be  a  great  deal 
more  unhappiness  resulting  from  it  than  we  see  to 
be  the  case. 

i 

Much  of  the  comfort  of  married  life  depends 
upon  the  lady ;  a  great  deal  more,  perhaps,  than  she 
is  aware  of.  She  scarcely  knows  her  own  influence ; 
how  much  she  may  do  by  persuasion,  how  much  by 
sympathy,  how  much  by  unremitted  kindness  and 
little  attentions. 

To  acquire  and  retain  such  influence,  she  must, 
however,  make  her  conjugal  duties  her  first  object. 
She  must  not  think  that  any  thing  will  do  for  her 
husband,  that  any  room  is  good  enough  for  her  hus¬ 
band,  that  it  is  not  worth  while  to  be  agreeable  when 
there  is  only  her  husband,  that  she  may  close  her 
jtrd.no,  or  lay  aside  her  brush,  for  why  should  she 
may  or  paint  merely  to  amuse  her  husband  ?  No  : 


I 


FEMALE  DUTIES.  167 

she  must  consider  all  these  little  arts  of  pleasing 
chiefly  valuable  on  his  account, — as  means  of  per¬ 
petuating  her  attractions  and  giving  permanence  to 
his  affection.  She  must  remember  that  her  duty 
consists  not  so  much  in  great  and  solitary  acts,  in 
displays  of  the  sublimer  virtues,  to  which  she  will 
be  only  occasionally  called,  but  in  trifles, — in  a 
cheerful  smile,  or  a  minute  attention,  naturally  ren¬ 
dered,  and  proceeding  from  a  heart  full  of  kindness 
and  a  temper  full  of  amiability. 

There  is  one  class  of  duties  which,  as  it  went  out 
with  our  grandmothers,  is  now  considered  quite  ob¬ 
solete.  We  wonder,  indeed,  how  these  venerable 
ladies  could  be  so  familiar  with  the  pantry  and  yet 
never  soil  their  petticoats  ;  how  they  could  preside 
over  the  culinary  department,  and  be  adepts  in  every 
domestic  art,  and  yet  be  still  as  stately  as  their 
ruffles  or  brocade.  Ladies  were  in  those  days  ac¬ 
countable  for  every  dish  ;  they  smiled  with  conscious 
triumph  when  the  sauce  was  praised ;  they-  made 
currant-wine  and  raspberry  vinegar  ;  and  their  cup¬ 
boards  were  stored  with  expressed  juices  and  inge¬ 
nious  confections.  But  now  there  is  something  in¬ 
elegant  that  attaches  to  the  household  arrangement, 
It  is  associated  with  making  puddings,  or  mending 
stockings,  or  scolding  servants.  A  good  housewife 
is  a  good  sort  of  bustling  person,  who  has  always  a 
good  dinner  and  a  clean  house  ;  who  jingles  a  bunch 
of  keys,  and  gasps  for  an  opportunity  of  replenish- 


168 


•FEMALE  DUTIES. 


mg  your  plate ;  and  who  looks  at  the  head  of  hex 
table,  as  if  she  should  be  in  the  kitchen. 

The  habits  of  a  former  age  would  certainly  not 
be  in  keeping  with  the  refinement  of  the  present ; 
and  a  lady  may,  no  doubt,  be  better  employed  than 
in  superseding  her  servants.  But  there  is  no  greater 
mistake  than  imagining  that  there  is  any  thing 
derogatory  in  entering,  when  necessary,  on  even 
practical  detail,  or  that  it  is  not  incumbent  on  every 
woman,  whatever  he  her  degree,  to  take  care  that 
these  details  are  well  conducted. 

Ease  is  the  distinction  of  true  breeding.  The 

t  .  .... 

most  lady-like  deportment  is  not  inconsistent  with 
perfect  economy.  It  is  delightful  to  see  such  a 
union ;  it  conveys  a  tone  to  the  whole  establishment ; 
and  you  feel  assured  that  the  dairy  and  the  drawing¬ 
room  are  equally  in  order. 

But,  on  the  contrary,  there  is  no  worse  breeding 
than  to  be  ashamed  of  any  thing  you  may  feel  it  to 
be  your  duty  to  do.  “  Never  blush,  my  love,”  said 
the  elegant  Mrs.  Chapone  to  a  young  wife  whom 
she  detected  making  a  tart,  “  to  do  any  thing  which 
may  please  your  husband,  promote  economy,  or  em¬ 
bellish  your  table.”  It  may  be  that  your  fortune 
does  not  allow  your  devolving  on  a  housekeeper 
the  dispensing  of  your  stores,  or  on  a  governess  the 
care  of  your  children ;  that  you  have  no  lady’s  maid 
to  make  your  caps,  and  no  French  cook  to  season 
your  omelettes ;  and  yet,  if  you  are  surprised  in 
any  of  these  little  offices,  you  are  sadly  discomposed. 


FEMALE  DUTIES. 


169 


You  retire  from  your  press,  or  send  away  your  chil¬ 
dren,  or  secrete  your  work;  just  as  if  it  were  a 
breach  of  etiquette  to  be  discovered  any  where  but 
on  a  sofa,  or  doing  any  thing  which  is  of  any  use. 

And  this  affectation  descends  even  to  a  lower  rank. 
What  can  be  more  absurd  than  to  dine  at  tables  of 
very  moderate  establishments,  to  taste  delicious  con¬ 
fections,  and  to  be  quite  sure  that  you  are  indebted 
for  them  to  the  lady  of  the  house, — that,  at  least, 
she  made  the  jelly  and  whisked  the  cream, — and 
yet  to  know  that  she  would  blush  to  be  suspected 
conversant  with  the  ingredients  of  a  single  dish  ? 

It  must  be  confessed,  that  the  menage  is  riot  the 
most  interesting  part  of  female  duty.  Its  detail  is 
often  trying.  We  feel  that  there  are  a  great  many 
things  which  we  would  rather  not  look  into,  a  great 
many  blemishes  which  we  would  rather  not  observe  ; 
that  we  would  prefer,  almost,  the  consciousness  of 
a  little  disorder  to  the  annoyance  of  interfering  to 
set  things  right ;  and  that,  in  short,  we  would  often 
rather  ourselves  dust  the  table  than  ring  the  bell. 
But  these  are  the  little  trials  that  devolve  upon  wo¬ 
man.  They  are  her  share  of  the  burden,  and  she 
should,  therefore,  not  shrink  from  it.  And  they  are 
common  to  all ;  for  the  lady  of  rank  is  as  responsi¬ 
ble  for  the  good  conduct  of  her  establishment,  as  the 
poor  man’s  wife  is  for  the  neatness  of  her  cottage. 

We  are  all  sensible  to  the  impressions  which  a 
want  of  order  produces.  A  coup  d’oeil  suffices. 
We  are  kept,  for  instance,  in  the  first  place,  half  an 
15  * 


170 


FEMALE  DUTIES. 


hour  ringing  at  the  bell ;  we  are  then  ushered  into 
a  cold  apartment  by  a  blundering  footboy  or  a  slip¬ 
shod  maid,  and  are  left  to  note  its  mal-arrangement 
whilst  the  lady  of  the  house  is  adjusting  her  costume ; 
and  when,  at  last,  we  are  allowed  to  pay  her  our 
compliments,  we  are  concerned  to  discover  that,  in 
her  haste  to  descend,  she  has  left  one  papillote  un¬ 
twisted,  and  one  unhappy  cordon  dangling  at  her 
side.  We  sympathize  with  the  poor  husband,  and 
in  pity  to  his  feelings  make  a  point  of  declining  his 
invitation  to  dinner. 

The  consideration  in  which  a  woman  is  held  de¬ 
pends,  however,  much  on  these  little  points.  A  sil¬ 
ver  saucepan  is  not  indeed  now  an  item  in  the  cor - 
beille  de  mariage ;  nor  do  modern  husbands  wish 
that  their  ladies’  boudoir  should  be  made  a  pastry 
room ;  but  none  are  careless  of  the  conduct  of  their 
house  or  the  arrangement  of  their  table.  None  like 
to  see  the  one  in  disorder  or  the  other  ill-furnished. 
The  commissariat  department  devolves  upon  the 
lady,  and  nothing  goes  on  well  if  it  is  poorly  sup¬ 
plied.  A  bad  dinner  has  a  bad  effect  upon  the  tem¬ 
per,  even  when  there  is,  on  the  whole,  a  superiority 
to  trifles.  We  have  heard,  indeed,  of  Sir  Isaac 
Newton’s  insensibility  to  the  abstraction  of  his 
chicken,  and  of  his  returning  to  his  problem  equally 
content  without  it ;  but  we  doubt  whether  any  mo¬ 
dern  student  would  be  as  indifferent.  Besides, 
husbands  will  sometimes  bring  home  stray  acquain¬ 
tances  to  dinner ;  and  why1  should  they  have,  on 


FEMALE  DUTIES. 


171 


such  occasions,  to  blush  for  their  wives’  deficien¬ 
cies  ? 

x 

A  neglect  of  minute  attentions  is  always  a  dan¬ 
gerous  experiment.  There  is  nothing  so  fatal  to 
sentiment  as  discomfort.  The  love  that  is  whispered 
to  an  elegant  young  woman  in  a  delicious  parterre 
is  forgotten  when  she  appears  in  a  bedgown  at  the 
breakfast  table,  and  dispenses  to  her  shivering  hus¬ 
band  cold  coffee  and  blue  milk.  How  different  his 
lot  from  that'  of  the  more  privileged  bachelor,  whose 
nice  housekeeper  sets  out  his  table,  and  never  soils 
his  carpet ;  and  who,  if  tempted  to  leave  his  quiet 
habitation,  and  compare  his  solitary  condition  with 
the  matrimonial  felicity  of  his  friend,  finds  the  un¬ 
happy  Benedick  overwhelmed  with  children  and 
resigned  to  discomfort. 

The  most  anxious,  however,  if  not  the  most  im¬ 
portant  duty  of  married  life,  is  that  which  is  due  to 
children,  and  which  in  their  early  years  principally 
devolves  upon  the  mother.  None  can  supply  her 
place,  none  can  feel  her  interest ;  and  as  in  infancy 
a  mother  is  the  best  nurse,  so  in  childhood  she  is 
the  best  guardian  and  instructress.  Let  her  take 
what  help  she  may,  nothing  can  supersede  her  own 
exertions.  She  must  give  the  tone  to  character; 
she  must  infuse  the  principle ;  she  must  communi¬ 
cate  those  first  lessons  which  are  never  forgotten, 
and  which  bring  forth  fruit,  good  or  evil,  according 
as  the  seed  may  be. 

Instruction  is  not  without  its  trials.  We  have 


172 


FEMALE  DUTIES. 


heard,  in  poetry,  how  delightful  it  is  to  “  rear  the  ten* 

* 

der  thought but  we  doubt  whether  any  of  us  can 
altogether  sympathize  with  the  beau  ideal  of  the 
bard.  In  spite  of  Bell  and  Pestalozzi,  it  must  ever 
be  a  work  of  patience  to  teach  grammar  and  ortho¬ 
graphy. 

How  needtul  then  is  a  mother’s  interest.  She 
may  not  be  herself  required  to  impart  the  elements 
of  knowledge ;  but  it  is  hers  to  give  life  to  the  sys¬ 
tem,  to  regulate  the  temper,  to  turn  the  little  inci¬ 
dents  of  a  child’s  life  into  so  many  useful  lessons. 
It  is  hers  to  watch  the  early  bias,  to  infuse  into  the 
lisping  prattler  a  scrupulous  regard  to  truth,  to  teach 
the  first  breathings  of  the  infant  spirit  to  ascend  to 
heaven. 

And  well  is  her  care  repaid.  On  whom  does  the 
mfant  smile  so  sweetly  as  on  its  mother  ?  To 
whom  do  the  little  boy  and  girl  fly  so  naturally  for 
sympathy  as  to  their  mother  ?  And  often  in  after¬ 
life,  does  not  youth  repose  its  confidence  securely 
on  a  mother,  and  seek  the  counsel  of  a  mother’s 
faithful  heart,  and  hide  its  griefs  in  a  mother’s  ten¬ 
der  bosom  ?  It  is  a  delightful  relationship  ;  and  if 
mothers  would  secure  the  love  and  respect  of  their 
children,  they  must  not  grudge  their  attentions  to 
them  in  their  earliest  years.  They  must  be  willing 
to  sacrifice  a  little  amusement,  or  a  little  company, 
or  a  little  repose,  for  the  sake  of  nursing  their  in¬ 
fants,  or  teaching  their  children,  or  fulfilling  them- 


FEMALE  DUTIES. 


173 


selves  offices  which  too  frequently  they  devolve  on 
servants. 

To  accomplish,  however;  these  duties,  a  woman 
must  be  domestic.  Her  heart  must  be  at  home. 
She  must  not  be  on  the  look-out  for  excitement  ol 
any  kind,  but  must  find  her  pleasure  as  well  as  her 
occupation  in  the  sphere  which  is  assigned  to  her. 

St.  Paul  knew  what  was  best  for  woman  when 
he  advised  her  to  be  domestic.  He  knew  that  home 
was  her  safest  place,  home  her  appropriate  station. 
He  knew  especially  the  dangers  to  which  young 
women  are  exposed,  when,  under  any  pretence,  they 
fly  frorq  home.  There  is  composure  at  home  ;  there 
is  something  sedative  in  the  duties  which  home  in¬ 
volves.  It  affords  security  not  only  from  the  world, 
but  from  delusions  and  errors  of  every  kind.  A 
woman  who  lives  much  at  home  hears  the  rumors 
merely  of  conflicts  which  perplex  and  agitate  all 
who  are  involved  in  them.  Opinions  are  presented 
to  her,  not  dressed  up  with  all  the  witchery  of  elo¬ 
quence,  and  fresh  from  the  mouth  of  their  pro¬ 
pounder,  but  divested  of  extrinsic  attractions,  and 
in  their  true  garb.  She  entertains  them  with  a  , 
mind  not  fevered  by  excitement  nor  athirst  for 
stimulus,  but  prepared  to  weigh  every  thing  impar¬ 
tially,  and  pre-occupied  by  important  themes. 

How  preferable  is  the  quiet  lot  of  such  a  one, 
when  really  religious,  to  the  most  brilliant  which 
this  world  can  offer.  She  has  set  her  footing  on 
the  Rock,  and  she  will  never  be  moved  from  it. 
15* 


174 


FEMALE  DUTIES. 


Her  faith  is  firm,  as  that  on  which  it  reposes.  It  is 
not  that  vague  sentiment,  which  scarcely  knows 
what  it  believes.  It  is  not  that  fickle  sentiment, 
which  adopts  the  newest  dogma,  whatever  it  may 
be.  It  is  not  that  vapid  sentiment,  which  feels  every 
thing  or  nothing,  just  as  the  world  dictates.  But  it 
is  a  faith  founded  upon  Scripture, — that  bends  to 
the  authority  of  Scripture,  however  set  at  nought, 
that  receives  the  doctrine  of  Scripture,  however 
contemned,  that  recognises  the  obligations  of  Scrip¬ 
ture,  however  mystified  or  explained  away.  It  is  a 
faith  which,  conscious  of  its  own  weakness,  rests  on 
Almighty  strength, — feeling  its  own  wants,  flies  to 
Infinite  sufficiency, — which  with  filial  confidence 
carries  its  cares  to  the  mercy-seat  of  Heaven,  and 
rests  assuredly  on  Him  in  whom  it  has  believed. 

And  how  will  such  a  faith  be  evidenced  ?  By 
composure  under  trials,  by  a  modest  fulfilment  of 
duty,  by  a  heavenly  walk,  by  a  happy  death.  Y es, 
it  is  then  that  the  Christian  really  triumphs.  The 
spirit  that  has  animated  for  a  while  the  tabernacle 
of  clay,  that  has  prompted  to  benevolence,  that  has 
stimulated  to  self-d-enial,  that  has  striven  and  strug¬ 
gled  and  suffered  under  its  load  of  flesh,  then  breaks 
from  its  prison  and  finds  its  repose.  Then  it  meets 
with  those  with  whom  it  long  has  held  communion, 
whose  temptations,  and  trials,  and  constancy,  have 
been  the  same,  and  whose  home  will  be  the  same 
forever. 

And  let  it  encourage  the  female  Christian  that 


FEMALE  DUTIES. 


175 


many  have  preceded  her  in  her  godly  course, — that 
Ruth,  and  Hannah,  and  Mary,  and  Dorcas,  and 
Priscilla,  and  other  holy  women,  have  led  the  way, 
— that  they  have  striven,  and  have  prevailed, — have 
believed,  and  been  accepted, — that  they  have  re¬ 
ceived  their  crown  of  glory,  and  are  with  the  spirits 
of  the  just  made  perfect.  And  let  her  go,  and  be 
like  them. 


f 


11-11  (JO 

r 


DATE  DUE 


DEC  -j 

993 

U  M/  n 

C  H 

r\  r\ 

m 

L  0 

"  - - - 

UNIVERSITY  PRODUCTS,  INC.  #859-5503 


9031 


BOSTON  COLLEGE 


01327861  9 


■ 


HQ  1221  .U7834  1854 

Winslowi-  Hubbard»  1799-1864. 

The  lady's  manual  of  moral 
and  intellectual  culture  / 

-  Dapsr  Library 

Boston  College 

Chestnut  Hill  67,  Mass. 


